New Moon
by M. Jackson Potter
Summary: What happens when a young werewolf goes to Hogwarts? Follow Maribella Piccinni's exciting first year, where she makes new friends and works on solving the mystery behind the Philosopher's Stone, all the while trying to keep her monthly transformation a secret from her classmates.
1. Prologue

In 1988, the Piccinni family lived in quietude in a modest lodge in England, trying as hard as they could to segregate their family from the chaotic post-war environment the wizarding world was experiencing. The father, Alessandro Piccinni, worked from home, producing the finest wines from mistletoe and juniper berries, and the mother, Fatima Piccinni née Materazzi, worked at the Ministry of Magic, as a Magizoologist. The Piccinni household (named the Grotta) was, overall, very agriculturally-based, sporting seemingly endless vineyards and housing whichever creature Mrs. Piccinni was currently studying.

The three little Piccinni children, Maribella , seven; Giovanna, five; and eleven-month-old Marco, were free to roam the fields and play with the animals as they pleased, for the lodge, being as isolated as it was, provided no reason to worry the parents. And the children did spend most of their time in the long fields, meandering between leaves, accompanied only by the family puffskein, a hairy round creature they had named Nico.

Maribella Piccinni, being seven, was obviously the eldest of the three, which automatically made her the smartest and the coolest; the leader. She had dark brown hair, which was kept short on her shoulders, and a set of eyes that matched her hair color almost perfectly, both complementing her oval face and well-centered roman nose.

Giovanna, known most commonly as Anna, fell humbly into her role as the follower. The five year old was considerably calmer than both her elder sister and younger brother, and often grew irritated at their antics and carelessness. She was so different from the two of them, with her lighter hair and eyes, that sometimes Maribella meanly liked to joke that Anna was found and adopted by their family. Anna hated when Maribella joked like that; the cruelty always made her want to cry.

Marco, being the youngest, wasn't allowed out in the berry fields as much as the two girls. That never stopped his sisters from sneaking him out whenever they could. In fact, if one were to pay attention, they'd notice that you'd be more likely find Marco attached to his elder sister's hip, as she brought him along to her many adventures, than in his crib.

It was there that little Marco found himself on a sun-drenched afternoon, on the 7th of June. The three children, as well as Nico the Puffskein, had spent their day playing around in the fields, hunting for bowtruckles, curious twig-like creatures, and eating mistletoe berries, unaware of their surroundings. Maribella reached up the vines, in all her seven year old glory, and grabbed a few berries for herself and Anna, while Marco played around with the berries' leaves.

"Don't let Marco eat the leaves, Anna," Maribella said, as she jumped and flailed the vines, making a few berries fall by her feet. "Papa told me they can make our tummies ache. _A lot_ ," she added for emphasis.

Her words had the intended effect, and Anna scurried off to where their brother was sitting with Nico, to prevent him from eating the harmful plants. Maribella carried on munching on the fruits, delighting herself with its yummy juice, feeling even happier when she spotted a bowtruckle hiding among the leaves.

"Heya, little guy," she cooed, grabbing him by his small wooden arms. The bowtruckle, unhappy by her actions, struggled against her, eventually opting to sink its little teeth on her chubby baby fingers. "Ow! _Ow_!" she cried, letting go of him at once.

Anna, having heard her sister scream in pain, came running to help her out. Maribella 's lips quivered, and she started to hiccup, sure signs that she was about to cry. When Anna approached her, she hastily turned away.

"Mari," Anna started, her bottom lip starting to shake as well. Anna hated seeing her older sister, her leader, her idol, looking so vulnerable.

"Anna, just go call Mama," Maribella ordered in a small voice, clutching her finger tightly.

Sensing her distress, Nico rubbed his furry head against the girl's leg, and she slowly picked him up, letting him lick her wound, his long pink tongue adorning her finger as a band aid normally would. Anna picked Marco up and started making her way out of the vineyard in the direction of the Grotta, limping slightly under the baby's weight.

Maribella , finally alone, took the opportunity to loudly cry, moaning about the unfairness of the situation. Why, she had been a good sister today. She hadn't fought with Giovanna or lost Marco somewhere out of the house. Not only that, but she had spent a significant part of her day picking out berries for her siblings and Nico. She'd been a good girl, and she most definitely did not deserve being bitten by such a _vile_ beast.

It never did occur to her that the small bowtruckle wasn't the only beast wandering nearby, nor that it wasn't the most monstrous being to exist. It didn't even occur to her that she was alone and far from her parents, leaving her defenseless- an easy target. By that time, the sun had already started to set in a striking kaleidoscope of colors, and the full moon twinkled in the sky. The girl now sat quietly, hugging the puffskein close to her body, waiting for either one of her parents to arrive.

Suddenly, a branch snapped, breaking the serene post-crying state that Maribella found herself in. The seven year old stood up, deciding to finish her tantrum where someone could actually see and pity her, until she heard a growl. Having spent most of her childhood surrounded by various species of animals, Maribella was accustomed to the noises they'd make. This growl, however, wasn't one she was familiar with. It was threatening and it made her feel smaller and weaker than she actually was. Her rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath told her she'd better head home fast.

She started to speed-walk towards her house, eventually breaking into a halfhearted sprint, until she noticed something; she had forgotten her pet! Nico had been in the family for ages, and Maribella knew for a fact that Marco would not be able to sleep well not knowing where the puffskein was.

She let out a growl herself, frustrated she'd forgotten something so dear to her. She needed a solution, and she needed one fast. She took a few minutes to think, when it occurred to her: _Magic_! Of course, magic! Mama and Papa always used it around the house, and sometimes Maribella would too, accidentally or not, when she really _really_ wanted something. And she really _really_ wanted to find Nico. So Maribella tried to think hard of the spell she had often heard her parents use when summoning something, hoping that maybe if she just thought about it hard enough, it'd work;

 _Accio. Accio Nico. Accio Nico the puffskein. Accio, accio, accio, accio…_

It didn't work. Oh, how Maribella wished she had a wand and could do magic! Or rather, how she wished she hadn't left poor poor Nico to be possibly eaten by the bowtruckles that inhabited the vines! She felt a wave of guilt, and promptly decided to run back to fetch him. She ran past the plants, whisper-shouting Nico's name, to no avail. The puffskein was truly lost. And, she realized as an afterthought, so was she.

She walked aimlessly through the fields, trying to remember which direction she had come from, when she spotted a small body, surrounded by a pool of blood. As she approached it, she realized it was a dead mooncalf, a creature that looked like a deformed lamb from the right angle, and could only be seen on full moon nights. There was a huge chunk of its neck missing, and giving a horrified yelp, Maribella backed away slowly, too scared to run off and protect herself. And there it was again, the crunching of leaves and sticks on the ground. She heard another growl, but this time it sounded like it was much closer, and, if possible, even more hostile.

"N-Nico?" Maribella whispered, knowing fully well that such small creature couldn't, and wouldn't, make such noises. "Mama? Papa?" she asked, her voice's intensity increasing with her fear.

She saw it then. It being a wolf, possibly of some rare species. It looked like one, at least, apart from its shorter snout and its strange eyes, which closely resembled a human's. Maribella stared at it, and it stared back. For a moment, it seemed like the creature was harmless, an innocuous animal simply hunting for its dinner, the mooncalf.

But of course, nothing was ever that simple, and when the animal bared its bloodied teeth, Maribella knew that she was in grave danger. She turned and ran like she never had before, crying and with snot all over her face, and no Nico to lick it clean. She briefly wondered if he too had been killed by the vicious beast, a thought that soon escaped her mind as she kept on running. The animal, it seemed, was toying with her. It'd run close to her, to the point where they were almost running side by side, and then let her sprint away, repeating the cycle over and over again, until the girl was so exhausted she felt about ready to just let it have her hand for dinner. But she didn't stop running, and it didn't stop chasing.

The animal caught up with Maribella one last time, before it pushed her over using its two front paws, making her topple by the sheer force of the shove. The beast stood over her, menacingly, and she shrieked, closing her eyes tightly and using her arms to shield her face. She suddenly felt a blinding pain on the base of her neck, and she realized it had bitten her. Her throat felt odd, almost as if it wasn't really a part of her, but at the same time, the pain she felt told her that it was, it _clearly_ was, and oh Merlin, she couldn't think straight, she just screamed and screamed and screamed, for her mama and Papa, for Anna and Marco, for stupid Nico who had got both himself and Maribella killed.

Maribella didn't want to die. She wanted to eat more mistletoe berries and she still had nine other fingers for bowtruckles to bite. She had a lot to live for! She felt a sudden intense urge to fight back. In the midst of her resolve, she felt stronger, not physically, but just… _stronger_ , somehow, as if the adrenaline empowered her. She felt all that newfound power just go _off_ abruptly, and blast the beast off her body. As she lay panting on the ground, she could hear the animal picking itself up, and once again moving towards her.

" _Everte Statum_ ," a voice boomed. Maribella hardly registered it, finally sinking into her exhaustion and letting the darkness take over.

* * *

On June the 7th, Alessandro Piccinni had been having a pleasant afternoon. This year's harvest was looking promising, and Mr. Piccinni had received a total of five solicitations for his wine from all over the continent just in the past few hours. So by the end of the afternoon, when his two youngest children came rushing towards him, complaining about a bowtruckle that had bitten his eldest, he was too distracted to pay any mind to it, and quickly dismissed Maribella 's supposed pain as a child's cry for attention.

Giovanna and Marco then began seeking their mother, but quickly became distracted by the ghoul they had found a few weeks ago living in their attic, and forgot all about the mission they had been given.

Maribella 's disappearance was only noted when Mrs. Piccinni arrived home from work, purse in one hand and a single pixie in the other, to find Mr. Piccinni, Anna, and Marco sitting around the dinner table, waiting for Mrs. Piccinni's arrival home to eat supper. Mr. Piccinni, still distracted by his paperwork, was dead to the rest of the world, and Anna and Marco were loudly attempting to play Muggle cards.

" _Buonasera_ , Ale," Mrs. Piccinni greeted her husband, who simply smiled and waved at his wife, gesturing towards his papers.

"Mama!" Giovanna and Marco shouted with glee simultaneously, as their mother moved to greet them both with a kiss on the forehead. "What did you bring home today, Mama?" Anna asked, glancing at the pixie warily.

"This, _tesoro_ , is a pixie," Mrs. Piccinni explained as she held the little beast up, so Marco could take a look as well, "they are very mischievous creatures and love to play tricks and practical jokes. Which reminds me..." she quickly scanned the dining room, "...that our own little pixie is missing from the dinner table."

"Maribella ?" Anna asked. Suddenly a look of horror appeared on her face, and she realized her mistake. "Oh no, Mama! Maribella is still out crying, she told me to come get you, but I forgot!" she exclaimed, and once again her bottom lip started to tremble.

"It's alright, _tesoro_ ," her mother wiped Anna's tears before they even started to fall, "we'll just go get her right now, then."

Giving Marco one last kiss on the head, Mrs. Piccinni, along with her youngest daughter, headed out to the fields to find Maribella . Drawing her wand, she casted a " _Point Me_ " to assist her in the search. Anna and Mrs. Piccinni walked quietly side by side, with the former clutching her mother's arm tightly, until they heard a faint scream.

"Mama, what was that?" Anna asked, and her mother replied with a quiet shush, as she mentally reviewed the most appropriate defensive and offensive spells to use, should trouble occur. Another scream was heard, louder this time, piercing the otherwise silent and peaceful night.

"Anna, I need you to go back inside, alright, dear? Go back inside and call Papa out to help Mama, okay? Keep Marco safe for me, tesoro, this will only take a few minutes," she said gently, but the tremble on her voice indicated how frightening the situation really was.

Anna ran back inside, as fast as her baby legs could take her. Meanwhile, Mrs. Piccinni rushed to the direction of the scream, silently praying that it wasn't her child making those noises, but some random creature she was meant to be studying.

But as mentioned before, nothing was ever that simple, and eventually Mrs. Piccinni did find the source of the screams, her child, being mauled by nothing less than a fully grown werewolf. She stood, paralyzed with shock, until the werewolf was unexpectedly thrown off, or rather, blasted off Maribella 's body, and the child groaned with pain. Mrs. Piccinni sprung into action shakily pointing her wand at the werewolf and screaming " _Everte Statum_ ", trying to put as much power in her voice as she could. The werewolf flew back, startled at the interruption. The witch didn't stop, casting the nastiest curses, spells, and jinxes she could think of, until the beast finally left, whimpering. The older woman then ran to the young girl's side.

"Maribella , oh no, baby, oh no." She sank to her knees, carefully scooping her daughter's small body in her arms, trembling and with a blurred vision from tears. "ALE! ALESSANDRO!" she screamed, panicked. Mrs. Piccinni, being the professional magizoologist that she was, knew that her daughter had to be immediately transported to St. Mungo's hospital if Maribella wanted to have any chance of living. Her husband was too far away, in the house, and she had no time to waste, so casting a quick Tergeo to clean the wound slightly, she apparated to the hospital.

"Werewolf," she managed to say to the healers, when she arrived, "please help," she finished breathless, too tired and afraid to say anything else.

As a group of healers took her child away from her, she cursed her own stupidity and the carelessness shown by Alessandro that day. They should've known that just because the war was over and You-Know-Who was gone, the world still contained dangers. The rest of the night passed in a blur. At some point she talked to Mr. Piccinni through the Floo Network, and at some point he joined her at the hospital. Neither could recall when it happened. At some point a healer came to talk, explaining that while there was a chance Maribella would survive, she would forever be haunted by the werewolf who had bitten her, for, from now on, every full moon night she would turn into a beast herself. And at some point, the two oldest members of the Piccinni family realized that, for better or worse (probably the latter), their family had changed forever.

"We've managed to heal her neck muscle on the inside, which unclogged her trachea and eased the pressure on her esophagus, so she should be able to breathe and ingest food properly again," a healer told Mr. and Mrs. Piccinni a few hours after the initial incident. "However, the skin around her neck is still very sensitive. We won't be able to fully seal the wound up until next week, and until then, she'll be in a lot of pain. Ms. Piccinni is currently under a magically induced coma. The accidental magic she displayed before you..." he motioned to Mrs. Piccinni. "...arrived, may be the single factor that saved her life."

"And what will happen after she wakes up?" Mrs. Piccinni asked in a small voice, somewhat afraid of what the answer would be.

"Luckily, when she does wake up, she won't need any assistance with her physical recovery, apart from the daily Restorative Draught she'll have to take, but emotional therapy is highly recommended. We will also provide you with a stock of Calming Draught, in case she isn't able to handle her current situation too well." The healer frowned, as if he was forgetting something crucial. "Oh yes. Unfortunately, as the two of you may be aware, Maribella has been infected with lycanthropy. The transformation will occur every month and will be extremely painful, especially during the first few full moons. The hospital will provide your family with a supply of Wolfsbane Potion for the initial six months, and um…" He conjured a piece of paper. "I've been told to give you this pamphlet. It will hopefully answer any remaining questions you might have," he finished awkwardly, quickly excusing himself to leave the couple to process all the information they had been given.

They stared at the pamphlet quietly. No tears fell from their eyes, as they both didn't have any left to be shed. They knew the next few days would have to be spent working towards acceptance and adaptation. They both quietly decided to make Maribella 's transition into werewolf-hood as easy and simple as possible.

* * *

When Maribella awoke a day after her eighth birthday on June 14th, she didn't immediately register where she was. She felt someone hold her hand tightly, and she felt an almost unbearable pain on her neck, but that was about all she noticed before she dozed off again.

Her father, who had been sitting on a chair next to her, was quick to call in a healer. Ever since that night, a mere week ago, he had felt incredibly guilty, blaming himself for what had happened to her. And to a certain extent, it was his fault. He'd been trying to help out as much as he could in the hospital, trying to make up for the negligence he had shown.

"When she fully awakens," the healer said, not unkindly, "you can take her home."

A few hours later, young Maribella awoke, confused and afraid, suddenly introduced to a whole new life she never asked to be a part of. She listened to everything silently, not speaking one single word until the healer and her parents were finished explaining her current situation. Afterwards she promptly burst into tears, and had to be given not one, but two Calming Draughts, before being brought back to the Grotta.

 **A/N: Hey guys! I know this whole 'Golden Quartet' business is a bit overdone, but I wanted to add my own character and do my own take on it. Please give it a try, and I hope you enjoy what I've written. Reviews and critiques are always welcome!**


	2. Hogwarts?

_June 12th, 1991_

Years had come and gone since Maribella had first been bitten by the werewolf, and with them, countless full moons had passed. The young girl slowly learned what it truly meant to be a beast. Even within her own family, she carried around a heavy discrimination and intolerance with her name. They treated her with caution, as if they were dealing with an undisciplined wild creature rather than their daughter, their sister. She was no longer Maribella , the adventurous girl, she was Maribella , the reckless witch-turned-werewolf, who had to be watched at all times, otherwise she'd do another crazy imprudent thing and injure those around her. Their actions were mostly done unconsciously, influenced subtly by the stigma placed on werewolves by the wizarding society, but nevertheless, hurtful. On the 12th, however, the entire house reeked of a newfound excitement, product of Maribella 's approaching birthday.

"It's tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow!" ten-year-old Maribella laughed happily, as she picked Marco up. Tesoro, the family kneazle protested loudly. Marco had been caressing his furry white belly, and Tesoro wasn't too ready for it to come to an end.

Tesoro had initially joined the Piccinni family a few months after Maribella had officially turned into a werewolf. Kneazles were known for their incontestable aggressiveness, unforgiving impetuous temperament, and unwavering loyalty, and at the time, Maribella 's mom had felt that this was exactly the type of pet their family needed. "He is here to protect us from everything he deems to be harmful," Mrs. Piccinni often said, and indeed he did. No one had been bitten by a werewolf since his arrival. Because of Tesoro's 'guard dog' status and tiger-like appearance, his relationship with Maribella in particular started off being quite rocky, but they eventually grew fond of one another.

They were so close that that evening when Tesoro hissed threateningly at Maribella after she took Marco away, she knew not to worry, and didn't even spare him a glance, laughing loudly and spinning Marco around.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow!" the three year old mimicked his sister's previous words, giggling gleefully at her actions.

"You have to promise to write me from Hogwarts," Anna, now eight years old, demanded, pulling at her sister's arm, forcing her to stop moving.

"Of course I will, Anna. In fact, I think I'll write you everyday!" Maribella happily exclaimed, grabbing her sister's hand and starting to jump and play around again.

The two eldest Piccinnis watched from afar as their children joyfully frolicked around. They shared a sour look, knowing how devastated their eldest daughter would be once they delivered the news. The following day would mark Maribella 's eleventh birthday, meaning that she would soon receive her Hogwarts letter and attend the school in Scotland. However, due to Maribella 's complication, they weren't sure the young girl would be accepted into the school. She was undeniably a witch, having displayed innumerable magical acts throughout her life, but was teaching her worth the risk she'd inevitably be putting her fellow peers in? They weren't so sure.

So a few hours before the clock struck midnight and it truly was Maribella 's birthday, her Mama and Papa pulled her aside to talk.

"Mari," Mr. Piccinni started quietly. "As you well know, tomorrow is your eleventh birthday, which means that you'll soon receive your Hogwarts letter."

"'Course I know, Papa," Maribella said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We've been talking about it for ages."

"I know we have, sweetheart." He exhaled loudly, before continuing. "But instead of attending the school, wouldn't you rather stay here at home with me and Mama?"

Maribella raised her eyebrows quizzically. Hadn't he just been as excited as her only a few months before? He averted his eyes, looking rather tense considering that tomorrow would mark such an important date to them.

"You remember your Great Aunt Donatella, don't you? She was a very respected teacher back in her day, and I think I could get her to teach you a few of the basics," Mrs. Piccinni proposed nervously.

Maribella stared at her parents suspiciously, not understanding why they would ever reconsider sending her to Hogwarts.

"And of course there's also your… your problem, you know, Mari? We have a large stock of Wolfsbane good and ready to be consumed, and it'd be too troublesome for the headmaster to provide the exact quantity you'd need every month," her father finished awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed with the conversation.

Maribella wasn't buying any of what they had said. If her parents really weren't willing to let her go to the school, they would have told her ages ago. They probably wouldn't even have made it an option to their three children in the first place.

"Papa," she finally said. "What's really going on?"

Mr. Piccinni looked at his wife momentarily, before continuing hesitantly.

"It's just that…" he trailed off, not finding the proper words to express what he wanted to appropriately. "Well, sweetheart, there are no records of werewolves attending Hogwarts. At least no _known_ records," Mr. Piccinni finally admitted. "Your mother and I are afraid you won't be accepted into the school."

Maribella blinked once. And twice. Then her tears started to fall. Of course she knew her lycanthropy would've been an additional challenge she'd have to face at Hogwarts, but she had always thought of it as more of an… annoyance. An ever-present _massive_ annoyance that would greatly impact her days as a student, but one she could eventually learn to deal with, like she had at home. A _manageable_ annoyance. Not once had it even grazed her mind the possibility that she wouldn't be able to go to the school. So understandably, she was crestfallen.

"Oh, Mari," Mrs. Piccinni said, as she hugged her daughter tightly. "I understand it's awful to think that you might not be going to Hogwarts, but I promise you'll have a wonderful time here with us. Off you go to bed now, _tesoro_ , tomorrow _is_ your birthday and we can't have you tired at your party."

Maribella felt so utterly miserable and alone, she was fleetingly reminded of her first night transforming into a werewolf. That night was mostly remembered as a blur, accompanied only by an involuntary shudder, as she remembered the fear she had felt standing out in the vineyards of the Grotta, a place that she had come to associate with danger. Regardless of how she felt, she kissed her parents goodnight and went to bed. The next morning was met with a mood of sorts, and by late noon, when it was clear no letters would be arriving, no one really felt like celebrating.

"Hogwarts letters don't always come on a child's eleventh birthday," Mr. Piccinni pointed out.

But Maribella , ever the pessimist, had already given up on the letter. The days passed slowly, with no sign that it would come. By the time the June full moon arrived, on the 27th, the Piccinni family had already started to prepare for what looked like Maribella 's permanent stay in the household. So naturally, when dawn rolled around the next morning, the young girl was woken up by loud pecks on the window. She sat on her bed, still groggy from sleep and hurting all over from yesterday's happenings. She yawned loudly, and slowly opened her eyes. Although she could see the first rays of light painting the sky, it was evidently early. Anna was still sleeping soundly, and Maribella _never_ woke up before Anna did on the morning after full moons. Tesoro was probably the only one who was fully alert, as he sat by the window, staring at the family owl, which seemed normal enough. Except, her family didn't own an owl.

She clumsily scrambled off the bed, almost tripping over her blankets, as they too gracelessly fell off her bed. Reaching the window in record time, she threw it open and reached for the letter. She patted the owl's tawny head mindlessly, her pat's force increasing with her excitement, eventually turning into full on slaps. The owl screeched in pain, and moved to bite Maribella 's hand, but was scared off by Tesoro's warning hiss. Maribella , engrossed by the letter, took no notice. She was entranced by the Hogwarts emblem that graced the envelope. Her first thought upon sighting it was, _It's a rejection letter_. But did those even exist?

"Mama! Papa!" she yelled excitedly, running towards her room's door, this time promptly tripping and falling on the ground.

"Maribella ? What-", Anna, recently awakened by the loud shrieks coming from both the owl and her sister, mumbled slowly, still groggy from sleep.

"I got it! I got it, Anna, I got the letter!" Maribella interrupted, picking herself up from the ground, and shoving the letter on her sister's face. She beamed at her sister. Poor Anna was too drowsy to process what had just happened, so Maribella turned around, skipping down the hall just as her parents came out of their room.

"Maribella, go back to bed. It's still early," Mr. Piccinni said as the girl approached.

"Papa, I got my letter! I got my Hogwarts letter!" Maribella announced, too happy to try and contain her enthusiasm.

Her parents beamed at her, somnolence instantly vanishing from their eyes.

"You did? That's wonderful, honey," Mr. Piccinni smiled at his daughter.

"Let me see it, Mari," Mrs. Piccinni opened the envelope and took the letter out. "My, they are getting demanding," she said as she scanned the supply list. " _Crystal_ phials? Those cost almost eight galleons, we're getting glass ones. What is an eleven year old going to do with- Oh look Ale, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! We have an autographed copy, Mari, you can bring it along with you," Mrs. Piccinni said it all in one breath, almost as excited as Maribella .

"Can we go to Diagon Alley today?" Maribella asked,standing on the tip of her toes, trying to read the letter over her mother's shoulders.

"Well, I don't see why not, we don't have anything else planned," Mr. Piccinni answered, chuckling quietly at Maribella 's antics.

Maribella cheered loudly, her joyous laughter echoing through the house and filling the halls, feeling happier than she had in days, maybe even months, and she started to get ready to begin another chapter of her tumultuous life.

* * *

Maribella 's lasts few months with her family were far from fun. They weren't horrible, per say, but just so terribly boring. After the Diagon Alley trip, Maribella all but absorbed her school books, reading them well into the night. She looked forward the most to Care for Magical Creatures, eager to show off her signed book and advanced knowledge on the subject. Her wand was kept by her parents for safety, hidden among a few of their most useless trinkets, and as soon as Maribella found where it was placed, she yearned to take it out of its case and use it (which she did. Quite a few times, actually.) She had spent a great part of her childhood longing to do magic, and now she had a _wand_! A real wooden wand, that could cast the most peculiar of spells if she wanted it to, and she refused to spend another moment of her life without it. (It was only when her parents caught her attempting to levitate Marco that she stopped. She did hate disappointing them). She even played around with her cauldron, making mock potions with Marco and Anna. No matter how much fun she had at home, she knew it would all be ten times better at the school. If only summer wouldn't drag on for so long.

When September 1st finally arrived, Maribella was ecstatic. She was ready to go, robes on and kneazle under her arm, before her parents even awoke. When they did, they made her change into normal Muggle clothes and to put Tesoro down, as he unfortunately had to stay. Then, they sat down to eat breakfast _._

"Why, will you look at this, Fatima. Someone tried to rob a vault at Gringotts," Mr. Piccinni commented, casually flipping through the Daily Prophet as he ate a buttered piece of toast.

 _The nerve of them, eating so calmly when we are clearly late_ , Maribella thought indignantly, as the kitchen clock cuckooed to signalize it was officially eight-thirty in the morning. Maribella gasped, as she slowly started to panic. The train would leave in exactly two hours and thirty minutes! Why, her parents were always reprimanding her about her impulsive personality, and now that she was trying to be cautious, they couldn't care less! Didn't they understand that she needed to get to the station early, just for insurance? She almost screamed in frustration when her siblings woke a good twenty minutes later.

The Piccinnis only arrived at the station two hours later. Maribella bounced up and down, anxious to get to Platform 9 ¾ as quickly as she could. She soon realized her family wouldn't be cooperating any time soon, as they walked slowly, taking their time to slowly examine every Muggle souvenir they came across, fully fascinated by non-magical London. She decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Come on!" Maribella urged, exasperated, and she grabbed Giovanna's hand and took off running towards Platform 9. She expertly dodged the passersby, with a level of agility she herself didn't recognize. Unfortunately for the two sisters, Anna wasn't as skilled, and couldn't keep up with Maribella 's panic-induced pace, and they ended up tripping and crashing onto a small plump woman, who stood nearby their destination.

"Sorry Ms.," Anna squeaked, flustered. She only got a quick glimpse of the woman's red-headed family, before Maribella started sprinting towards the dividing barrier between platform nine and ten, and Anna dutifully followed.

"Now, what's the platform's number?" Anna heard the woman ask, before she closed her eyes and disappeared through Platform 9 and 10.

A few seconds later, when Giovanna felt it was safe to once again open her eyes, she was met by the sight of a large scarlet train, caked by a thick layer of steam, and her own sister, standing under the plastic Hogwarts Express sign, mesmerized by the sight of the vehicle. The two girls were standing side by side admiring the train, when their parents arrived.

"Mari," Mr. Piccinni started, clearly out of breath. "Don't you ever do that again. You gave your mama and I quite a fright."

"You could've gotten lost, Maribella ," her mother said sternly, panting slightly and leaning on the trolley she was pushing.

"Sorry," Maribella replied, her tone light, not taking her eyes off the red machine. Mrs. Piccinni sent her a warning look, and she was quick to explain herself. "I'm sorry, Mama. I got excited, that's all," and she bounced on the balls of her feet, fidgeting with the edge of her shirt.

That eased a bit of the tension off her parents' shoulders. They smiled slightly at their eldest daughter and pulled her into a hug.

"I can't believe you're already going to Hogwarts, Mari," her Papa said.

"We'll miss you so much, _tesoro_ ," her mama completed. Even Giovanna joined in on the hug. Maribella graciously received the hugs and kisses, but pushed her family away as soon as she felt it would be acceptable to, before they all turned into a weeping blob, composed only of tears and snot. Nasty.

"I'll help you onto the train, Mari," Mr. Piccinni, perhaps being the most emotional there present, claimed, taking her hand and her trunk each in one hand and walking towards the Hogwarts Express.

"Bye Mama! Bye Gio! What- yes, I'll write you loads, Anna, we've talked about that- Love you too, Mama, send Marco my kisses," Maribella shouted over her shoulder, waving mother and sister goodbye one last time, before letting herself be dragged away by her father.

Together, the two managed to haul Maribella 's heavy trunk up on the train.

"I'll miss you, sweetheart," Mr. Piccinni sniffed.

"I'll miss you too, Papa," Maribella said. Planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek, she hopped on the train just as a loud whistle went off. The train was departing, and as it started to move, Maribella hobbled down the corridor with great difficulty, trying to find a compartment to spend the next few hours in.

So far, the Hogwarts experience was shaping out to be exactly what Maribella had expected. She found an empty carriage and she loved the soft screech the door made as she slid it open. She plopped down on the bench, and she loved how the wood felt under her fingertips. She looked out the window, and she loved how the British scenery she was accustomed with was slowly mingling together with the Scottish one, as they left England. She heard the laughter, the jubilant squeals that hovered in the air as students found their friends. She loved how-

"Excuse me, sorry," a voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up, startled, to find a bushy-haired girl staring up at her. "Have you seen a toad? A boy in my compartment lost his," Maribella noticed that the girl's mouth didn't fully close over her abnormally large teeth, but she chose not to comment on it. That wouldn't be wise, especially considering that the girl looked to be around Maribella 's age, and could be a potential friend.

"I haven't, sorry," Maribella said instead, shaking her head. The girl sighed quietly, and moved to close the door. "I could help you look, if you'd like."

The girl nodded and walked out of the compartment. Maribella leapt to her feet, proud of herself. She hadn't even arrived at the school yet, and here she was, already socializing.

"You go further down the train, and I'll look for it in the next few compartments," the girl instructed. "I'm Hermione, by the way," she decided to add as an afterthought.

"I'm Maribella , nice to meet you," and Maribella set off down the hall. She checked the compartments with friendly-looking people in them. Finally, she stopped in front of one containing only two young boys. Maribella knocked softly, trying to make a good first impression, before letting herself in.

"Have you guys seen a toad? My, um, friend lost his," Maribella asked when she came in.

"We've already told him we haven't," the one seating nearest to her, a redheaded lanky boy, huffed. A dark grey rat snoozed on his lap, twitching slightly. The boy held his wand in one hand.

"Are you doing magic?" Maribella asked, once she noticed it. "I tried some at home on my younger brother, but my Mama and Papa caught me before I could manage to do it. It was quite frustrating," she rambled on. "'Course, I don't think it would've worked anyways, levitating charms are quite complicated." Maribella was nervous. She hadn't felt nervous when talking to Hermione, but maybe that was because they had barely talked. She felt much calmer, though, when the two boys chuckled at her story. "Mind if I sit with you guys for a bit?" her voice trembled when she asked, but the boy nodded and she sat down beside him.

"I'm Ron," the red-haired boy introduced himself, waving his wand-hand.

"I'm Maribella ," she said back. "But you can call me Mari, if you'd like," the nickname made her feel more at home.

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter," the other boy said. The name seemed familiar, as did his messy hair and green eyes, but Maribella couldn't quite place him anywhere.

"Nice to meet you, Harry Potter," she finally said. Ron stared at her expectantly, apparently waiting for her to say something else.

"Don't you know who he is?" Ron blurted out a few second later, after she showed no signs of recognition. "Wait, hold on, are you muggleborn?" Maribella shook her head. "Didn't think so, you don't look lost enough- how do you not know who Harry Potter is, then?"

Harry Potter himself looked completely embarrassed.

"I just had a busier childhood, I guess," Maribella answered quietly. Her family didn't have time for 'celebrities', not when they had so many problems to sort out.

"Right, but-"

The compartment's door suddenly slid open. Hermione was back.

"Has anyone seen a toad- oh hi Maribella , you've checked this one, then," she said. Supposedly feeling more comfortable by the presence of a friendly face, she moved into the compartment and sat across from Ron, who looked quite taken aback by her sudden entrance.

"Are you doing magic? Let's see it then," Hermione bossed, spotting Ron's wand. Maribella had already forgotten about it, but was intrigued, as was Harry.

"Er, actually we- oh, all right." Ron cleared his throat, and turned to the sleeping animal on his lap. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." He waved his wand, but nothing happened. The rat stayed gray and fast asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said Hermione. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough- I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

Maribella had read all her course books at home as well, but after talking to Hermione she suddenly felt unprepared for the school year.

"Harry Potter," Harry answered.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course- I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

Oh. Guess Harry was a lot more important than he and Ron had let on.

"Am I?" said Harry, looking slightly dazed. So maybe he just… didn't know?

"You didn't know, Harry?" Maribella voiced her uncertainty. It seemed odd to her. How could this wizard boy, apparently very very well known, be unaware of his own fame?

"Goodness, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. She then looked at Ron, scrunching her nose up slightly. "And you are…?"

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.

"Pleasure," Hermione gave him a slight nod. "Anyway, I'd better carry on looking for Neville's toad, if you won't, Maribella . You lot had better change, though, I expect we'll be there soon." And she left, leaving Maribella staring after her, bewildered.

A few seconds passed, and then the three of them burst out laughing.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. He threw his wand into his trunk.

"She isn't that bad, Ron," Maribella defended the girl, even though she secretly thought that _yes, Hermione was_ that _bad_. "Anyway, she's right about something, we should be getting at Hogwarts soon. I better go change," she stood up as she said that. "I'll be right back."

She went back to the carriage her trunk was in. Hastily throwing it open, she found her school uniform and hurried to the bathroom where she could change. Once she was finished, she scurried back to where her new friends were sitting, eager to be with them. Maybe because the train was moving too quickly for her to keep up with, or maybe because she was too distracted to watch where she really was going, but a few seconds later, Maribella found her cheek pressed against the floor. She had crashed into someone, and in the process, she had fallen on her face.

"Sorry," she mumbled, rubbing her cheek as she stood again.

"Watch where you're going," the blonde boy she had bumped into snapped. He glared at her, then at his friends, two giant baboons who looked as lost as a nun on a honeymoon.

"I said I was sorry," Maribella said, irritated, but the boy wasn't listening. He was already sulking away with his two minions. Maribella instantly disliked him. Rolling her eyes, she continued making her way down the train, until she reached Ron's compartment. Hermione was just leaving when she arrived.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you. They made me leave because they are about to change," the girl said, as Maribella approached. Maribella had a feeling they hadn't only made her leave because they were changing clothes.

"Thanks," she replied, even though she didn't feel thankful at all. She knew she was being rude, but at the moment she didn't care. Hermione just gave her a strange look, then left. Maribella rested her head against the cool door, waiting for the two boys to change. She stayed there for a few minutes, until she felt they had had enough time to put their clothes on, and opened the door.

"What now- oh, hey Mari," Ron muttered when she came in.

"Don't mind him," said Harry. "He's just upset," and then Harry began telling her what had had happened before Maribella came in. She was surprised to hear that the same rude boy, named Malfoy, who she had talked to earlier had bothered her new friends as well.

"I bumped into him on my way here. Seemed like a right brat," she said.

"He is. That's what his family is known for," Ron said, finally joining the conversation. "You should've seen Scabbers, though," at that, he gestured to his rat. "A fighter, this one is. They were about to eat our food, but he didn't let them."

Maribella glanced at rat's sleeping form. At that moment, he really didn't seem like much of a nuisance. But she shrugged, accepting what Ron had said. Mostly because she didn't want to anger him any further.

"Sorry, Mari, forgot to ask. Would you like to have a chocolate frog?" Harry asked.

"Oh. Yeah, sure," Maribella grabbed one, staring at it uncertainly. "You know my mother studies these," she held the frog up so the boys could see. "Magical creatures, I mean. She's a magizoologist."

"What's that?" Harry asked, looking genuinely interested.

"Magizoology is the branch of biology that focuses on the structure, function, behaviour, and evolution of animals," Maribella answered. "She studies magical creatures."

"Oh. So kind of like a zoologist," Harry said.

"What?" Maribella asked, confused. That Harry Potter boy sure was a strange one. "No, like a _magi_ zoologist."

"Yes, but you see, zoologists- Oh, nevermind," Sensing his two companions' confusion, Harry was quick to change the topic. "Tell me more about magizoology."

"I told you about Charlie, my older brother, didn't I, Harry?" said Ron. "Well, he studies dragons. That's magizoology. I reckon your mum doesn't study these, though," Ron gestured towards the chocolate frogs. "They're _chocolate_."

Maribella glanced at the redhead and grinned, "I reckon you're right," and she put the entire frog in her mouth, chewing slowly, just as a voice suddenly echoed _"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."_

Hogwarts at last.

 **A/N: Second chapter is up and Maribella is at Hogwarts! We finally got to meet some of our favorite original characters as well. Let me know what you think.**


	3. The Sorting Hat

Their arrival at Hogwarts could only be described as chaotic. Maribella and her friends were hit by an avalanche of students, who all hurried off the train. A very large man, whom Harry was clearly familiar with, guided the younger students down a narrow path which he barely seemed to fit in. Maribella gulped loudly as she trailed behind Ron and Harry. The path was dark and uninviting, dripping with unseen danger. Menacing trees framed every curve and no sound could be heard over the roar of the wind. Except for the occasional sniff coming from one of the faceless children, but Maribella paid no mind to that. She hated the dark, she wasn't particularly fond of forests, and together, the two made an ominous combination. A howl was heard, and Maribella moved to grasp anything that indicated that she was not alone, helpless, or in imminent danger. She ended up gripping Harry's shoulder, who looked startled at her touch, as he had been intently following the group. She tried to play it cool, awkwardly patting his arm, as if brushing some dirt off it. She must have imagined the howl, then, as the children who surrounded her walked in imperturbable tranquility. Still, it was only when the trees parted to make way for a vast lake that Maribella was able to once again breathe properly.

In a chorus of _Oooohs_ and _Aaaahs_ and _Woooows_ , the students made their way towards a fleet of boats that lay waiting on the shore, boarding four at a time. Maribella went with Harry and Ron. The three of them sat comfortably, before being joined by Hermione. Maribella , Ron and Harry shared a look but said nothing.

"Everyone in?" shouted the giant man, who had a boat to himself. "Right then- FORWARD!"

The boats simultaneously started gliding across the lake. A huge castle triumphed over the black water, and the children marvelled at it. Maribella , after feeling so claustrophobic in the forest, warmly welcomed the freeing atmosphere brought by the lake. She too looked upon it and marvelled at its daunting structure.

The boats eventually reached an underground harbour, and everyone eagerly hopped off. They clambered up a rocky passageway following the giant's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the front door as the giant knocked. The _thump_ echoed for a few seconds before the doors screeched open.

Standing in the doorway in front of them was a tall, stern-looking woman in emerald-green robes, her dark hair pulled into a tight bun. She radiated with authority, and when she spoke, her voice seemed to resonate beyond normal.

"Thank you Hagrid," she addressed the giant, as she moved to let the students enter. "I will take them from here."

Maribella walked in with the other students. The inside of the castle looked just as wonderful as the outside. The ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper were torches lit along the stone walls, illuminating an entrance hall so big, Maribella could probably run around it in her werewolf-form for hours before getting caught. The thought made her fidget uncomfortably for a second. But who could stay upset at Hogwarts? Certainly not her.

She walked slowly, trying to touch every surface she could reach, be it wall, floor or tapestry, not really believing she was actually there. The woman, who Maribella learned to be Professor McGonagall, went on to introduce the school and its four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff. Maribella already knew where she'd be sorted. Hufflepuff. Her mother had been a Hufflepuff, and honestly, where else would Maribella go? Slytherins were ambitious, and the only thing Maribella aspired to be was well-fed. Besides, the single goal she had had, had been achieved; she was already at Hogwarts, and for now, that was good enough. Ravenclaws, from what she knew, would much rather stay inside and finish a book than attend a Quidditch final or just play out in the sun. So, definitely not her. Gryffindors were brave and, well, these days she felt anything but. So what was left? Boring Hufflepuff, who accepted everyone and anyone.

She sighed loudly. McGonagall left the room, and she turned to Ron and Harry, just as the latter asked: "How exactly do they sort us into houses?"

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking," Ron answered.

"My Mama said it's just an old hat that sorts us," Maribella chimed, noticing how nervous Harry looked.

"Blimey, I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll," Ron muttered back. Maribella laughed at that, but her dark-haired friend still looked scared.

"What happens if I'm not suited for any?" Harry asked.

"Then you're sent back home on the train." Maribella grinned at him. Of course, her words didn't help appease the boy's fears, and he now looked like he was about to pass out. "Oh Harry, I'm just joking. Don't worry about it, I don't think anyone is unsortable." She was quick to assure him, feeling slightly guilty.

He opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a shriek, coming from one of the nearby students. They turned around, to find twenty ghosts hovering above their heads, talking to one another. Maribella looked around excitedly. She had read about ghosts, categorized as Spirits by the Ministry, but had never seen one in person. From all the creatures her mother had brought home, a ghost had never been one of them. She had spent a short while studying them, but decided to focus on beasts, as they, for the better part, were irrational and wouldn't get offended by labels and all the surveillance.

"Move along now. The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts left, passing through one of the walls. "We're ready for you now," the Professor said to the students. They walked back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Even after all the descriptions her parents had given her, Mari was completely overwhelmed by the sight of the hall. Larger than any of the other chambers she had briefly seen, the Great Hall could only be described as palatial. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables. She took in the enchanted ceiling that mirrored the starry sky outside, and decided she had never seen something so rest of the students were already sitting down, chatting with their peers, and turning around to see the first years come in. At the top of the hall was another long table which was lined with, presumably, the teachers and staff. There was a wooden stool in front of the room, a sagging witch hat perched on top of it, just like Mrs. Piccinni had said.

She turned to Harry to point out that fact, but the boy was entranced by the school, and after her not so well received joke, she wasn't too willing to disturb him. Instead, she directed her attention to the old hat. It twitched, and through a rip near its brim, it began to sing.

Now, Maribella was fascinated by all-things-Hogwarts. But she couldn't help letting her eyes wander as the hat sang. Honestly, song-form or not, the four-houses talk was getting hackneyed. She took the time to examine each table, each ghost, each student (or as many as she could), and soon it was officially time to be sorted.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," Professor McGonagall said. " _Abbott, Hannah_!"

And off Hannah Abbott went. She promptly sat on the seat and put the hat on her head. It covered her eyes, nearly swallowing her whole. A moment passed.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. Maribella watched the young girl run towards the yellow-infested table, wondering if she'd soon be joining her. A few more students were called up. Notably, _Granger, Hermione_ went to Gryffindor, and the pale blonde boy she had met on the train, _Malfoy, Dragon,_ or something equally as weird, went to Slytherin. Hufflepuff was looking better and better by the second.

 _Perks, Sally-Anne_ was called, and then at last " _Piccinni, Maribella ."_

The children surrounding her parted ways so she could come through. She felt all eyes on her, some with mild interest, most with boredom. She concentrated hard on not falling on her face. Step, step, step, pause, turn, sit. _This is it_ , she thought, _this is_ finally _it._ She closed her eyes as the hat slid down her face, coming to rest on the bridge of her nose.

"A werewolf, huh," a voice immediately said in her ear. "I've sorted one of those before. Very, very interesting."

She felt her heartbeat speed up.

"You've been thinking about… Hufflepuff? No, no. Though loyalty is striking in your heart, your values do not align with the house's principles. I see, however, a touch of recklessness in you. Why, of course, given your history. Loyal and daring- better be GRYFFINDOR."

She took off the hat and stood up quickly and instantly felt dizzy. So not Hufflepuff, then, but Gryffindor. _Gryffindor_ , she thought. A smile crept up on her face, and she laughed loudly. Not that anyone could hear over the enthusiastic claps. She felt so happy she didn't even hesitate to sit next to Hermione when the girl offered her the seat.

 _Potter, Harry_ , was called and everyone was immediately silenced.

"Potter, did she say?" somebody asked, and the whispers broke out. Maribella squinted her eyes at her friend. She knew him from somewhere, that was for sure. She had known from the second they met. But… from where?

Suddenly she had an epiphany. The werewolf who had bitten her. You-Know-Who. The Boy Who Lived. She had previously blocked anything war-related from her life, as had her parents, because it just brought on too many negative emotions and horrible, horrible memories. She barely remembered hearing about him, which explained why she took her time realizing what he had done for the wizarding world.

Everyone watched the boy expectantly. Finally, a good few minutes later, the hat announced: _GRYFFINDOR._

The table erupted in cheers, the loudest ones yet, with Maribella leading them all. A number of people got up to greet Harry as he approached, and he struggled to fight his way to where Maribella was sitting.

"How did your Sorting go?" she asked as he finally sat down next to her. After realizing who he was, she was now inspecting him closer.

"Fine," he said, grinning. For some reason, he looked more relieved than anything.

Out of their trio, Ron was the last to go. He was pale and green when the hat fell over his head. He hadn't needed to worry, though. Mere seconds after it was placed on his head, the hat shouted _GRYFFINDOR_ , and Ron joined them at their table. He too received a few welcomes, all from a handful of redheads. He sat down opposite Maribella and Harry.

"Aye Ron," Maribella high-fived him across the table. "Nearly a hatstall," she joked with the boy, who laughed along with her.

Hermione, who Maribella had forgotten for a few pleasant minutes, shushed them loudly as the Headmaster spoke a few odd words ("Is he mad?" Harry asked) and food magically appeared. Maribella saw several types of meats, different styles of potatoes, steamed vegetables, plenty of sauces and even some sort of peppermint candy. She silently thanked Merlin for the fact that tonight wasn't a full moon; she didn't know what she would've done if she missed this wonderful feast.

"I didn't know you were a Piccinni." Ron struck up a conversation, halfway through the meal. "You're Italian, aren't you?"

"Well, half-Italian. Or maybe a quarter Italian. I don't really know. But, um, yes?" Maribella replied uncertainly.

"That's wicked!" he exclaimed, "I've never met someone from another country!"

"Ron," said Seamus Finnigan a few seats down the table. "I'm literally Irish."

Paying no mind to the interruption, Ron continued, "Your father makes wine, doesn't he? My parents have a bottle stored at home, for special occasions. Your wine is pretty good."

"And you've tried it, have you?" Maribella raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't," Ron replied cheerfully, "but Fred and George, they're my brothers, you see, have, and they've told me it's wicked good."

"Your brothers sound brilliant," Maribella laughed.

"They're a'ight," Ron grumbled. Maribella gave him a strange look and turned to Hermione, who was in deep conversation with Percy Weasley, another one of Ron's brothers. She was sitting close to the Yorkshire pudding that Maribella craved. Before she could ask, though, the plate disappeared, making way for ginormous bowls of jelly, a diverse selection of pastries, and some fruit.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and the headmaster got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils- no magic should be used between classes in the corridors - And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harry laughed nervously and Maribella elbowed his side.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" the teacher announced, and in a melodic cacophony, everyone started singing the anthem. After that, they were all sent to bed.

* * *

Maribella strategically chose her bed in the girl's dorm. She picked one close to the window, but far enough so she wouldn't get cold at night, and close to the restroom, but far enough to not be affected by the lovely smell that would eventually come from the room. Her bed was also the furthest away from Hermione's.

"Here you go," said Parvati Patil, one of her roommates, handing Maribella her trunk. A neatly-folded piece of paper, that both girls had failed to notice until then, floated down to the floor, and Parvati bent down to retrieve it, reading the note in the process.

"Professor McGonagall wants to see you first thing in the morning tomorrow," Parvati told her, finally giving her her belongings. "Why?"

Maribella shrugged, even though she did have an idea of what was going to be discussed the next morning; her werewolf problem, which she wasn't about to share with the other girl. Maribella examined the note, trying to see if there was anything else written on it, but there wasn't and she put it down. She got ready for bed and settled under the covers, tired from the day's events, and wishing morning would come faster so she could finally start her life at Hogwarts.

 **A/N: So,(surprise, surprise) Maribella went to Gryffindor. Even though it is very cliche, I do think it fit her well. Regarding the story, I'm very excited to see it develop, and in total it will be having around 12 chapters (with at least a few thousand words each. Trust me, it's a lot more than it sounds). I know the first few chapters aren't the best, but I just needed to set the story; introduce my character to the original plot, establish the context, etc etc. I hope you choose to give it a try, and I cannot wait for the next few chapters, which are probably some of my favorite!**

 **Any thoughts?**


	4. First Classes

Intent on not drawing attention to her talk with Professor McGonagall, Maribella was the first to rise the next morning. She got ready silently, throwing her robes over her shoulder and holding on tight to her books as she tiptoed out of the room, down the stairs to the common room. Only a few tables were occupied at that hour, which was just as well. It wouldn't do her any good to be seen and questioned. She scurried past Percy Weasley, who was doing some early-morning reading, and out she went on her way to the Transfiguration room. The huge castle and all its funny little trinkets were starting to become less oddly thrilling and more inconvenient, and it wasn't until after she got lost four times that she managed to reach the Transfiguration room.

"Take a seat, Ms. Piccinni," said McGonagall once Maribella entered. The room was big and bright, surrounded by high windows. It had four rows of three desks, with several bookshelves and animal cages framing the furniture. The Professor sat at the very end of the room, at the teacher's table. She was even more intimidating up close.

"Good morning, Professor," Maribella said, moving to sit in front of the teacher. She sat with her back upright and discreetly rubbed her robes, trying to get some dust off it. She got the feeling Professor McGonagall was someone she would want to impress.

"I imagine this conversation will be highly uncomfortable for you, but it has to be done," the older woman started. "You understand that this is a very rare situation, one that has only happened once before at Hogwarts, and a few precautions need to be taken."

As Professor McGonagall spoke, Maribella 's mind raced. Again she had heard of another werewolf. She had been too distracted the previous night to really ponder over it, but now…

"Professor Sinistra has charted the next few full moons for you. For a week preceding the full moon night you are to meet Madame Pomfrey, no later than six in the evening, to take your potion. You will be allowed to roam the Hogwarts grounds on full moon nights. However," McGonagall continued rigidly, and though distracted, Maribella forced herself to listen. "Should you misbehave and harm any of the creatures or students that inhabit Hogwarts, you will be relocated to somewhere less spacious." Her voice then softened considerably. "If you need any additional guidance, you are to come to me, Miss Piccinni."

"Thank you, Professor," Maribella said solemnly. If anything, the conversation with the teacher comforted her slightly.

"You may go, then. Your morning classes should be starting soon."

Maribella walked absent-minded, still immersed in the talk she had had. There were so many crucial things she had to remember; the smallest of details were a matter of life or death. Cursing herself for not jotting it all down somewhere, she vowed to do it as soon as possible. And of course, the other werewolf. Maribella couldn't help but be curious. Who was he, when had he come to Hogwarts, how had he coped? She made a mental note to look it up sometime. Maybe the student records, in the library, could be of help. They did, after all, keep track of the students who went to Hogwarts over the years. _Head Boy, Quidditch Captain_ , and oh, what was that? _Werewolf._ Right, fat chance of-

 _SPLAT_

Her books fell on the ground as she bumped into Hermione, who seemed to be just as distracted as she, reading a thick book as she walked.

"Oh, sorry Maribella ," Hermione said, bending down to pick up the books that had fallen on the ground, and handing them to Maribella . "Are you going to Potions now? I'll come with you. Less chance of getting lost, you know. I already had some difficulty finding the Great Hall for breakfast. Speaking of- why did you skip on breakfast?" the girl inquired, turning right back around and walking alongside Maribella .

"I er-" Maribella racked her brain, trying to come up with an excuse. "Slept in late." she finally decided to go with. Hermione, however, eyed her suspiciously, clearly not buying her story.

"You weren't in bed when I woke up," the girl pointed out.

 _Curses_ , Maribella thought, mentally kicking herself. How she had forgotten someone as annoying as Hermione was her roommate was beyond her.

"Lavender was obviously the last to wake, we spent the better part of the morning trying to get her out of bed. You'd know if you were there," Hermione continued. "You'd better tell me now because if I find out you were somewhere you weren't meant to be, I'll probably have to turn you in."

Maribella had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying something very very rude to Hermione.

"I was with McGonagall," she told her. "Dealing with my own private affairs that-" Hermione had opened her mouth again, but Maribella spoke quickly and loudly over the girl. "-do not concern you."

And with that, Maribella quickened her pace, stopping only in front of the dungeons, where the Potions class would be taught. She opened the door to find Harry and Ron already sitting down with their cauldrons.

"Hi," she said curtly as she sat down, taking out a quill and some parchment.

"Hey. Are you alright?" asked Harry, immediately sensing her bad mood.

"Fine," Maribella replied, "just bumped into Hermione on my way here."

"Makes sense." Ron nodded as Hermione arrived, looked around, and finally decided to sit with the other Gryffindor girls. And then, the door slammed open and the class begun. Professor Snape, the hooked-nosed and sallow-skinned teacher, was dreadful. He clearly favored the Slytherin half of the class, continuously taking points and being down-right rude to the Gryffindors. He, for some reason, seemed to hate Harry the most.

"Harry Potter. Our new... celebrity," he nagged as he read Harry's name during roll call. The Slytherins sniggered, and Maribella , already irritated, felt her blood boil. It only worsened as the class went on. Snape, that damned man, started quizzing her friend on the hardest of questions, ones you would have needed some background on Potions to answer.

"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" the Professor inquired.

Powdered root of what to an infusion of what? The only one who seemed to have an idea of what was going on was Hermione, whose hand shot up instantly.

"I don't know, sir," said Harry in a small voice. Snape tut-tutted loudly, ignoring Hermione's hand.

"Fame clearly isn't everything," he said with a sneer. "Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry looked even more stumped. Maribella heard Malfoy laugh quietly with his cronies and decided to put her hand up as well. Not because she knew the answer, mind you, but because she thought that maybe Snape would stop picking on Harry if more people would raise their hands. She was wrong.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

Maribella was fuming. How dare he treat one of his students in such a derogatory way, especially one that clearly had no knowledge of magic? How dare he openly mock, openly humiliate the poor boy like that? She glared fiercely at Snape, raising her hand as high up as she could, just like Hermione.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Ah, that she knew. The monkshood, also known as wolfsbane, or aconite, was a vital ingredient in the Wolfsbane Potion she so badly needed. She had to answer his question, then. She had to put him in his place.

"Nothing, sir," Maribella said, without being called. Snape's head whipped towards her, and his sneer turned into a full snarl. Maribella faltered, but kept going. "They are the same plant."

Snape's eyes briefly wandered towards the roll list, looking for her name so he could properly chastise her. His eyes flared with recognition as he realized who she was.

"Funny that _you_ would know that," he jeered cruelly. "Five points from Gryffindor for disrespecting a teacher."

Maribella flinched, and she felt tears well up in her eyes from embarrassment. She looked down at her hands on her lap.

" _Potter,_ " Snape went on, emphasizing Harry's name _._ "When brewing a Wideye potion, which type of caldron would be the most viable to be utilized?"

Maribella didn't have to look to know Hermione's hand was up, stretching towards the dungeons' ceiling. It was Harry's answer that surprised her.

"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

Maribella almost fell off her chair. Harry had spoken with a spite she had never heard before. She laughed with the rest of her classmates, and even Hermione looked satisfied. She high-fived Ron under the table, and when Harry grinned at her, she winked gratefully. Snape, however, was not pleased.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. You would need a copper caldron, simply because it is more efficient," he looked around at the class. "Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

As one last act of defiance, Maribella just glared up at Snape, not bothering to write anything down.

"And another point will be taken from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter."

The class didn't get much better from then on. They sat in pairs, with Maribella shyly joining Hermione, and started mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. Halfway through the lesson, Neville Longbottom had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy," Snape bellowed, clearing the mess with a flick of his wand. "Take him up to the hospital wing," he spat at Seamus. Then, turning to Harry and Ron, who sat closest to Neville's table:

"You—Potter—why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."

Maribella 's mouth fell open at the unfairness of it all. Harry too looked like he was about to retort, but Ron stopped him before he could.

"What is his problem?" she angrily whispered to Hermione. The girl shrugged, bewildered as well.

An hour later, they climbed out of the dungeons, feeling worse than ever. Maribella walked alongside Harry and Ron, complaining loudly.

"I hate him," she ranted. "No. I _despise_ him. We lost, what, fifteen points within only one lesson. And he- he kept picking on you!" She gestured wildly towards Harry, who looked exhausted. "He's a professor, how dare he- UGH."

"Don't worry about it," said Ron. "Snape's a git. He is always taking points off Fred and George."

Compared to Potions, the other classes weren't so bad. They stumbled in late to Transfiguration and got a fright from McGonagall transforming into, well, McGonagall right as they let out sighs of relief from not being so late.

"Maybe if I were to transfigure one of you into a pocket watch, you might be on time," she had said with an air of disapproval, but let them sit without taking any points or giving out detentions.

Herbology was taught by Professor Sprout and they learned to take care of different plants and fungi. History of Magic, by far the most tedious, was also the only one taught by a ghost, Professor Binns ("Bored himself to death," Maribella and Ron joked). Maribella was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures but soon learned they would only be taking it in third year and was very disappointed. Defense Against the Dark Arts was another class enthusiastically waited for, but that too turned out to be a flunk; Professor Quirrell seemed to be too frightened of pretty much everything to teach. And he smelled of garlic.

One afternoon, Harry received a note from Hagrid, and the trio decided to all go meet the giant. He lived in a small wooden cabin at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door. When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang, back." Hagrid's big face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. Ron and Harry looked wary, but Maribella 's years of experience said the big dog- Fang- was just another beast who needed to be loved. Her thoughts were further confirmed when Hagrid let go of the dog and he came bounding towards them, licking all over. She giggled happily, rubbing the dog's ears.

"These are Ron and Mari," Harry introduced.

"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, giving them both a big smile. They were treated to a relaxing afternoon filled with boiling tea and quite literally rock cakes. Hagrid was a great listener, Maribella found.

"-and he just kept on being so rude to Harry-," she vented.

"-it seemed like he really hated me-," Harry continued.

"-for no reason at all!" completed Ron.

"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?" but the trio couldn't help but notice Hagrid wouldn't meet their eyes as he asked.

"Yeh're a Weasley, ain' yeh?" Hagrid asked Ron, changing the subject. "How's yer brother Charlie?"

The two talked while Maribella listened in. She found out Ron had several brothers including Charlie, Percy, Fred and George and even a younger sister, Ginny. Maribella could barely handle having two siblings, she couldn't imagine having that many of them.

"Hagrid!" Harry said suddenly. "That Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!" he held up a copy of the Daily Prophet, showing a headline that read _Gringott_ s _Break-In Latest_. Maribella fleetingly remembered overhearing about the break-in back at home. Hagrid was quick to send them back to the castle after that.

* * *

The September full moon was quickly approaching, and Maribella couldn't be less eager. To make matters worse, the full moon coincided with their first flying lesson, something Maribella had been looking forward to.

That fateful morning, she woke at seven o'clock as per usual, but felt so tired she simply turned over and fell back asleep. Her body already ached, and her limbs felt heavy and were weighing her down. Maribella slept throughout the morning, until noon, when Hermione woke her up.

"Thanks," Maribella muttered as Hermione helped her off the bed. She groaned and grimaced as she looked through her trunk to find a clean pair of neatly- folded socks.

"I thought you wouldn't want to miss lunch," Hermione explained. "But you don't look so good. Get dressed, I'll take you to the Hospital Wing."

Even in her weary state, Maribella made some effort to roll her eyes at Hermione's bossy attitude.

"Thanks," she said. "But no thanks. I'd rather just get to class."

"That would not be wi-" Hermione suddenly gasped, looking at Maribella 's shoulder blade. In the month they had shared a room, not once had she seen Maribella 's uncovered shoulders. The girl had always made sure of that, always wearing a robe or a long-sleeved shirt, and rushing to the toilet as soon as she woke up. She didn't want to expose the deep scarring left by the werewolf since her attack. But now, overcome by her exhaustion, Maribella was left standing only in her nightgown.

"What?" Maribella asked tiredly.

"We need to get that checked," Hermione fussed as she approached and carefully touched Maribella 's shoulder. The girl, finally realizing what had gotten her companion so perplexed, flinched, feeling very vulnerable and exposed. She covered herself with her hands, then with the bed curtains, looking quite silly as she did so, but at the moment she couldn't care less.

"I- sorry," Hermione choked.

Maribella opened her mouth to reply but found that she couldn't. Instead she mustered as much energy as she could and ran to the toilet, locking herself in there until she heard Hermione leave. She changed into her uniform quietly, her movements slow. She then went down to the Great Hall, where some of her classmates were having lunch. Not seeing Harry or Ron, she made her way to Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas.

"-turn this water into rum," Seamus was chanting and didn't notice her arrival. He flicked his wand towards his goblet, and it blew up in his face.

"Don't worry, mate," Dean consoled. "You'll get it eventually."

Maribella ate in silence, not wanting to attract any attention. At three thirty that afternoon, she hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for the first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under her feet. Madame Hooch was already waiting outside on the grounds when she arrived, as were Harry and Ron.

"Mari!" Ron exclaimed when he saw her approaching. "Are you ok?" he asked, taking in her pale figure and the dark crescents beneath her eyes.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Harry asked worriedly.

"'M' fine," Maribella said. The boys looked like they wanted to say something else, but then the class started.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"

"UP!" everyone shouted.

"Up," Maribella echoed. Her broom stayed put on the ground. Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, as did Malfoy's. Ron's came up to whack him right on the nose, before toppling back down. When Harry looked over to share a grin with Maribella , he found that she hadn't even noticed Ron's mishap.

Maribella herself felt dizzy and not one bit willing to try and get her broom up. Madam Hooch told everyone to mount their brooms, and as everyone preoccupied themselves with holding the broom just the right way, Maribella went off to the side and asked to be taken to the Hospital Wing. Madam Hooch took one look at her and agreed she was unfit to ride. She turned to the class.

"None of you move while I take this girl to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Come on, dear."

Maribella spent the next hour and a half laying on one of the beds in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey, the kind matron working there, fussed over her, offering chocolate and tea. At five-thirty the bell resonated throughout the grounds, indicating it was dinner time, and Maribella gained permission to go down to the Great Hall and get some food before coming back at six to prepare for the night.

The girl dragged her body through the corridors, having great difficulty going down the stairs without tumbling down. Maribella looked for Harry and Ron as she went into the Great Hall. Her stomach tightened when she noticed Ron was sitting alone. Harry was nowhere in sight. Had he gotten hurt during their lesson? No, Maribella would've known; she _had_ spent the afternoon practically disabled in the Hospital Wing and would've definitely seen him come in. Had he gotten in trouble? Maybe. After seeing the boy talk back to Snape, Maribella was sure he was capable of anything.

"Where's Harry? What happened?" Maribella asked sitting down next to Ron.

"Malfoy," Ron said bitterly, stabbing at his steak and kidney pie. Even though Maribella 's neck hurt and cramped, she turned to glare at the Slytherin table.

"What did he do? Is Harry okay?" Maribella asked, turning back to Ron.

"Malfoy stole Neville's Remembrall, and Harry tried to get it back. Madam Hooch was still up in the Hospital Wing with you, so we weren't allowed to go up on our brooms, but Malfoy did anyways, and Harry followed. Malfoy threw the Remembrall and Harry managed to catch it, I think, but McGonagall saw him and he's been with her ever since."

"He's been expelled?" Maribella asked weakly.

"Not yet," Harry's voice answered, and Maribella looked up to find the boy sitting across from them.

"You're not expelled?" Ron asked excitedly. "I saw McGonagall's face, I thought for sure…"

"She actually took me to see Oliver Wood," Harry said, then leaned forward, dropping his voice to a whisper. "I'm going to be the new Gryffindor Seeker."

"You're _joking._ "

Maribella could only give him a smile.

"You must be the youngest player in about-" Ron continued.

"-a century," completed Harry.

 _Note to self,_ Maribella thought, letting her head rest on her arms, _boys turn into giggling messes when talking about Quidditch._ And she smiled at her own joke.

Suddenly she heard:

"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"

Malfoy's whiny voice made her feel like a hundred knives were piercing her brain.

"And," Maribella said, standing up quickly and ignoring the blood rush in her head. "That is my cue to leave."

"Scared-" Malfoy paused.

"Piccinni," one of his friends offered.

"Scared, Piccinni?" Malfoy smirked.

With great effort, she turned around and did her best to give him a convincing sneer.

"Not one bit-" she too paused, wanting to have the same effect as the blonde rat, by pretending she too had forgotten his name. Unfortunately for her, neither Ron nor Harry caught on. "-Malfoy. Just have better things to do." And with that, she turned around and limped away with as much dignity as she could.

 **A/N: This is one of my favorite chapters because we get to interact with some of our favorite characters! It's also Maribella's first full moon at Hogwarts. We'll see the repercussions next chapter.**

 **Let me know what you think about the story, reviews make my day!**


	5. October Occurrences

It was dawn on the next day when Maribella finally transformed back. She felt dizzy and her legs cramped, still adjusting to her normal body. She hobbled to the castle with her head spinning. Madam Pomfrey was at the entrance, waiting with a cloak, and together the two made their way up to the Hospital Wing. Upon arrival, Maribella was given a Dreamless Sleep Potion to make sure she'd rest as much as possible. Much like the previous day, she only woke after midday with the help of Hermione.

"I thought you'd be here when you didn't come to our dormitory last night," Hermione explained, sitting by Maribella's bed. "I brought you your homework. And my notes from today's classes."

 _Trust Hermione to stuff a sick person with homework of all things,_ Maribella thought.

"You didn't miss much," Hermione continued, not noticing Maribella's languor. "Just werewolf bites today in Defense." The girl eyed Maribella cautiously, but Maribella maintained her expression blank, not giving anything away. At that moment, Madam Pomfrey arrived, providing a necessary diversion.

"Oh, you're awake dear," said Madam Pomfrey, handing Maribella a vial containing a blue liquid. "It's an Invigoration Draught," she explained. "It should give you enough energy to go through the day. Merlin knows you need any possible help." Giving her one lingering look full of pity, she turned to another bed to heal another sick student. Maribella downed the liquid quickly, very aware Hermione's full attention was placed on her.

"Well," she said, wiping her mouth. "That sure did help. Isn't it lunch now, Hermione? I'm starving, so I'll just…" She hopped off the hospital bed and put her shoes on.

"Right," said Hermione. "I'll come with."

Maribella bit her tongue. "Oookay," she said, prolonging the _o_. Hermione really couldn't take a hint.

The two girls walked in awkward silence, with Hermione frequently sneaking glances at Maribella, being less than discreet. Maribella visibly brightened when they reached the Great Hall and she spotted Harry and Ron. She bounded towards them. When Hermione realized their destination, she huffed.

"On second thought," she said. "I'm going to the library." And turning up her already upturned nose, she stomped away.

"Hi," Maribella said as she sat down opposite the boys.

"Mari!" they exclaimed at the same time.

"Well, you're looking...," Harry hesitated. Unfortunately, the Invigorating Draught hadn't bettered her sunken eyes and haggard countenance. "...hungry."

"It's ok, Harry," Maribella chuckled. "I spent the night in the Hospital Wing, because I was sick, but I'm feeling better now."

"You do look better than you did yesterday."

"Yep," she said, filling her plate with roasted chicken and peas. "All thanks to Madam Pomfrey. Her potions work wonders." _More than they would ever know._ "So what's new?"

Harry and Ron shared a look.

"Malfoy challenged Harry to a wizard's duel yesterday," Ron said.

Mari's mouth fell open. " _What?_ And you went through with it?"

"We did," Harry said. "But Malfoy never showed up."

"The coward thought he could get us expelled," Ron added. "Filch and Mrs. Norris were there waiting for us."

Mr. Filch was the school's caretaker, and he was a particularly unpleasant man. Together with his cat, Mrs. Norris, the two made an obnoxious duo. 'The bitter old man and his odious cat' did not even have a nice ring to it.

"The little git," Maribella hissed, shuddering at the thought of having such a close encounter with the caretaker. "Bet it was quite a surprise when he realized you were still here."

"Right," Harry grinned. "But that's not even the best part."

"When we were running from Filch, we ended up in the third floor corridor," Ron said excitedly. "There's a three-headed dog in there."

"Was the dog locked in? Did he look distressed?" Maribella asked worriedly. Maybe she'd write to her mum about it.

"He was guarding something," Harry informed.

"We figured it's what was almost stolen at Gringotts," Ron completed.

"Hold on- I'm confused. Why would that be at Hogwarts?"

"Well, you know how I went there with Hagrid on my birthday?" Harry asked. Maribella nodded. "We stopped at a vault after getting to mine, and Hagrid emptied it. And what's the only place safer than Gringotts?"

"Hogwarts," Maribella concluded. "It makes sense." Or maybe she wouldn't write to her mum about it.

"But there's no way of knowing what the dog is guarding," Harry lamented.

"It's got to be really valuable," Ron said.

"Or dangerous," Mari offered.

"Or both," Harry finished.

"There's no point pondering over it," Maribella said. "What we need now is to get back at Malfoy. He's already tried to get you expelled twice."

A chance for that came the following week. It was on a chilly October morning, during breakfast. The owls that delivered the post every morning arrived as per usual, but several of them were carrying together one long package, and Maribella was amazed to see that it dropped right on Harry's bacon.

"It's a broom," he whispered enthusiastically to her.

"Oh." Maribella didn't understand much about those. "What model?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand?" Ron answered with a screech, reading the note over Harry's shoulder.

"Is that good?" Maribella asked.

" _Good_? I've never even _touched_ one," Ron moaned enviously.

The three of them scurried out the Hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick before their first lesson, but halfway across the Entrance Hall they found their way upstairs barred by Malfoy and his minions. One of the boys seized the package, and Malfoy palmed it repeatedly, feeling the object.

"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."

"It's not any old broomstick," Ron gloated, delighted to be rubbing it in Malfoy's face. "It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."

"Lay off," Mariana retorted sharply. "Or I'll snap _you_ twig by twig." And before Malfoy could reply, Professor Flitwick appeared to see the commotion.

"Not arguing, I hope?" he squeaked.

"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.

"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," said Harry, and Maribella could see that it was just as difficult for him to keep from laughing as for her and Ron. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.

The three of them headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage.

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" An angry voice came from just behind them. Hermione was stomping down the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.

"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.

"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good."

And they turned to leave.

It turned out that Hermione was somehow involved in the whole third-floor ordeal and wasn't speaking to both Ron and Harry. Unfortunately for Maribella, that just meant the girl spent more time with her. They now ate lunch and dinner together (at least every time Mari didn't manage to avoid her), and were partnered with each other on every lesson.

"We should start our Astronomy assignment," Hermione declared one evening as they did homework together in the common room. Maribella looked over to where Ron and Harry were sitting playing Exploding Snap, and sighed enviously.

Although the project was due a fortnight from that day, Maribella tiredly agreed. She had learned the best way to make Hermione shut up was just mindlessly agreeing with everything the girl said.

"Sure, Hermione," Maribella conceded, "what do you want to chart?"

"I was thinking the moon," Hermione quipped, glancing at Maribella, who eyed her suspiciously.

"Wouldn't you rather chart, I don't know, Mars' patterns? Or some random star? I heard Sirius looks really bright at the end of the month," Maribella affirmed.

"No," Hermione said with incontestable finality. "How's Wednesday night for you?"

Maribella counted quickly in her head. It was a full moon night.

"I can't," she said.

"Right," Hermione said, standing up. "I'm going to bed." And she left. Maribella stared after her, surprised she hadn't suggested an alternative date. She didn't, however, put much thought into it. Seeing that she was finally free from Hermione, Maribella gladly joined Harry and Ron in their game.

It was on Halloween morning that she realized her mistake. Maribella woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced they would finally start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to do ever since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Maribella's partner was Ron, thankfully, because Hermione had been trying to catch her eye ("I need to talk to you," she mouthed). They set to work on the spell, _Wingardium Leviosa_ , which wasn't as simple as Professor Flitwick made it look.

"Swish and flick," Professor Flitwick repeated over and over again. Maribella flicked, swished, and prodded the feather she was meant to be levitating, but it wouldn't budge. Finally, she leaned forward on her desk and blew hard on the feather, making it float. This amused Ron profoundly, and the two doubled over with laughter.

"Honestly," said Hermione, a few tables over, "it's not even that hard. If you'd just take it seriously…"

 _If you'd just mind your own business…_ Maribella thought, as Ron shouted:

"Fine. _Wingardium Leviosa!_ " He waved his long arms like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong," Hermione snapped. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, " _Wingardium Leviosa_!" Her feather rose elegantly off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

All in all, Ron was in a very horrid mood when they walked out of the class.

"She's a nightmare, honestly," Ron complained just as Hermione came out of the classroom and called for Maribella.

"Good luck," said Ron as she bid him and Harry goodbye.

"Maribella," Hermione said breathlessly as she ran to catch up with her. "I need to talk to you."

"So, talk," Maribella replied, rather snippily. She would never admit it out loud, but Hermione's feat in the Charms classroom had left her quite resentful. Hermione looked a bit taken aback but nevertheless continued:

"I, well, you-" Hermione couldn't seem to say what she wanted to, which was definitely a first. She took a deep breath and started again. "I started our Astronomy project. And-" Deep breath. "And I've noticed… every full moon night you're absent, either from Astronomy class or our dormitories, and the days preceding it you're sick-" All color drained from Maribella's face "-and I did some reading on- on…" Another deep breath. "I saw your neck… scars and… I think I know what you are."

Maribella stared at her, her face white, her heart palpitating wildly, her mouth dry, before replying: "I think I know what you are as well."

"What?" Hermione asked, confusion etched on her face.

"Nosy," Maribella barked. "Goodbye!" And she ran as fast as she could away from the other girl. Hermione had offered no hints that indicated she was close to unraveling Maribella's secret, so her discovery had really come as a surprise. She reached Harry and Ron as a hyperventilating and trembling mess. The boys each took her by an arm, trying to steady her.

"Are you ok?" Harry asked, his concern clear.

"I just- Hermione-" Maribella couldn't talk. She was close to panicking.

"Look what she's done to you," Ron said angrily. "It's no wonder no one can stand her."

Hermione, who had apparently followed Maribella and heard everything, pushed past the trio, her face stricken with sadness.

"I think she heard you," said Harry.

"So?" said Ron, but he looked uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

"Should we follow her?" Harry, ever the peacemaker, asked.

"No," Maribella said, watching Hermione's retreating figure. She really wasn't ready to face the other girl yet. And for the remainder of that afternoon, she didn't. Hermione didn't turn up for the next class, or the one after that. Mariana felt guilty, even more so when she heard her dormitory mates' bit of gossip for the day:

"I saw Hermione shutting herself up in the girls' bathroom downstairs, but that was hours ago," said Parvati.

"Hasn't the day been so peaceful without her constantly nagging?" sighed Lavender Brown, Parvati's best friend, happily. Maribella's face turned red with embarrassment.

It was only after classes, during the Halloween feast, that thoughts of Hermione really vanished from Maribella's mind. She walked into the Hall with Harry and Ron and was surprised to see it had been decorated for the night. Dozens of floating jack-o-lanterns hovered overhead, and a colony of live bats was swooping over the tables in low black clouds, scaring inattentive students. The feast was much like the start-of-term banquet. Every inch of the table was covered with food, and Mari tried to grab a little of everything.

She was enjoying herself when suddenly the doors whipped open. The noise startled Maribella, and she dropped a spoonful of mashed potatoes on her robes. As she groaned and brought her clothes to her lips, licking them clean, Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the Hall, his turban askew and pure terror on his face.

"Troll- in the dungeons- thought you ought to know," he gasped and promptly fainted.

A few seconds of abeyance, and then, chaos. Kids were screaming, crying, some even laughing, probably believing it to be some kind of joke. The teachers were trying, in vain, to calm the students, and even the Prefects didn't know whether to run or try to regain control of the situation. It was only when Dumbledore conjured several exploding purple firecrackers that the Hall quieted down.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

And then Percy was on his feet, scrambling to get all the first years in line, and shouting at the older students to get back to the common room as fast as they could.

"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a Prefect! You there, the dormitory's that way."

Truly in his element.

"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Don't ask me," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."

"Who's Peeves?" Maribella asked.

"You haven't met Peeves? Oh, you lucky-"

Harry suddenly grabbed Maribella's and Ron's arm. "I've just thought- Hermione."

"What about her?" asked Ron.

"She doesn't know about the troll."

Mariana's eyes went wide.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, alright," Ron caved.

Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them and hid behind a large stone griffin. Slowly, the three peeked around the edges of the statue and were surprised to see Professor Snape hurrying down the corridor and disappearing around the corner.

"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"I don't know. Harry, no- we can't-" Maribella said, grabbing Harry as the boy moved to follow Snape. "We have to help Hermione."

"He's heading for the third floor corridor," Harry objected, struggling against her grip.

"Harry, we've got to let him go for now," Maribella said, still holding onto the boy. "Besides, what do you expect to do against a fully grown wizard? Throw sparks at him?" she tried reasoning with him.

"What do _you_ expect we do against a fully grown _troll_?" Ron asked.

"Right," Maribella said breathlessly, finally letting go of Harry, "right, let's see." She tried to remember everything she knew about trolls. Her mother had brought a baby one home, once upon a time, but it was kept away from her since it was, you know, a flesh-eating beast. "They're very ugly, very stupid," she started. "Prodigious strength- violent, yes, very aggressive- their skin is pretty thick, so I don't think any of our sparks will work on him. I think going physical would be the better option," she concluded, "Let's give it a good hit on the head."

" _What?_ " Ron yelled. "You want us to-"

"Can you smell something?" Harry interrupted.

It was a succession of senses, really. First smell. A foul stench took over the corridor, a mixture of sweaty socks with manure. Then sound. A low grunting and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. At last, the three of them turned and were greeted with the sight of a tall fearsome creature. It was at least twelve feet tall, with a lumpy body and a boulder for a head, granite grey skin covered in dirt, short legs and long arms, dragging a large wooden club behind it. Worst of all, it was coming in their direction. Ron pulled both Harry and Maribella back, the statue shielding the three of them from the troll's view.

They watched, transfixed, as the troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.

"Forget hitting him. I have a better idea," Maribella whispered. "Let's lock it in," she said, pointing to the door, where sure enough, a key was resting in the door's lock.

Sneaking up on a troll seemed like the worst idea ever, but at the moment, it was the only plausible one they had.

"Good idea," said Ron nervously.

The three of them edged closer to the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Ron managed to grab the key, clumsily slam the door shut and lock it.

" _Yes!_ " they shouted together, adrenaline still coursing through their veins. Crisis averted!

"Now we just need to get Herm-" a high petrified scream cut Maribella off. With horror, she realized the chamber they'd just locked up was in fact the girls' bathroom. How had she not realized it?

"Hermione!" Harry shouted in realization. He pulled the door open and ran inside, with Ron and Maribella following close behind. Hermione was shrinking against the wall, as the troll advanced on her, looking as if she was about to pass out.

"Confuse it," Harry said desperately, and seizing a broken tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall. The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly. Once it spotted Harry, it grunted, as if annoyed it had yet another person to smash, and went for him instead.

"Come on, Hermione," Maribella shouted at the girl, running round the troll and offering her hand to the girl.

"Oy, pea-brain!" she heard Ron yell, followed by a _clang_ , as he too threw a metal pipe at it.

"Hermione, run!" Maribella yelled, "We can't hold him off for much longer!"

But the girl wouldn't budge. Maribella turned around, thinking of another way she could help. She picked up a bar of soap from a sink nearby and a tap that had been blasted towards them and threw them at the troll, but compared to the mayhem the boys had caused, it was nothing. The troll was now roaring and moving towards Ron, who had no way of escaping.

Harry then did something unbelievably stupid. He took a running jump and latched himself onto the troll's neck, swinging wildly as the troll moved about, confused. Any second now and the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with its club.

Maribella and Hermione screamed and looked on helplessly. It was Ron who took action.

" _Wingardium Leviosa_ ," he yelled, a little unsure of himself. The spell, however, worked wonders, and the club flew out of the troll's hand, rose high to the ceiling, and dropped with a sickening crack on to its owner's head. The troll fell with a loud thud.

Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done. Maribella moved slowly towards the troll.

"Is it dead?" Hermione asked from her place on the floor, breaking the silence.

Maribella poked the troll on the arm with her wand, not wanting to touch its skin. "I think it's just passed out."

Harry bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy grey glue.

"Urgh- troll bogies," he whined, wiping it off on the diaper-looking garment the troll was sporting.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the four of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall came bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart. Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Harry, Ron and Maribella. Maribella had never seen her look so angry.

"What on earth were you thinking?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Ron was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Maribella looked down, unable to meet any of their eyes. Then a small voice came out of the shadows.

"Please, Professor McGonagall- they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!" Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.

"I went looking for the troll because I- I thought I could deal with it on my own- you know, because I've read all about them."

Maribella's mouth fell open. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. It was a hard fight, they didn't have time to go and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

The three of them tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them but failed. Maribella stared at Hermione and wondered what was going on. Hermione was the last person who would break any rules, and here she was, lying to Professor McGonagall of all people, to get them out of trouble.

"Well, in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own? Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this. I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses." Hermione left.

Professor McGonagall turned to the trio. "Not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. For sheer dumb luck. You may go."

They hurried out of the chamber. Now that it was all said and done, the adventure had been slightly humorous.

"You know," said Maribella as they walked down the hall, "when I told you to hit it up the head, I didn't mean it literally."

"Yes you did," Ron said with a grin. "You wanted us to have a full-blown fist fight with it." And then, in a higher pitched voice. "' _Going physical would be the better option'_ ," he mimicked her, "' _Just give it a light kick on the head and hope for the best.'_ "

Harry laughed, and Maribella playfully shoved Ron.

"Pig snout," they said to the Fat Lady, upon reaching the portrait. The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, they all said 'Thanks' and Ron and Harry ran off to get plates. Maribella and Hermione, however, hung back.

"I- I'm sorry I was so nasty to you today earlier on," Maribella apologized, not meeting the girl's eyes.

"It's ok," Hermione answered softly. A beat passed, and then: "You really are a werewolf, aren't you?" she asked, not unkindly.

"I-" There really was no point in denying it now, "-yes."

"I figured," Hermione said as she wiped the last of the snot from her face.

"And," Maribella asked hesitantly, "you're not scared?"

"Of course not," Hermione said. "You've been my only friend for two months, I've always known you would do me no harm."

And she said it with so much conviction, Maribella didn't have the heart to correct her.

"Besides," Hermione went on with a small smile, "I've seen you fold your socks. Forgive me if I'm not cowering in fear."

Maribella looked at her, surprised.

"Hermione Granger," she said, grinning, "was that a joke?"

Hermione simply shrugged.

"Come on," she said instead. "Let's go join Harry and Ron."

The boys were sitting with Fred and George Weasley as well as their friend, Lee Jordan. The foursome seated together, listening to the older students as they told them some stories from their first year. There were some things you couldn't do without becoming great friends, Maribella realized. Fighting a troll was one of them.

 **A/N: So, Hermione knows. This was a really fun chapter! Hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Reviews are always welcome (they help me grow!)**


	6. Quidditch

For all the time Maribella had spent hating on Hermione, she found the girl was a really good ally to have. Ever since they had saved her from the troll, she had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules, and her presence was turning out to be really enjoyable. No longer did she chide and patronise them for every little mistake, and no longer did she purposefully avoid the boys' presence. Not only that, but Hermione was really understanding and accepting of Maribella 's condition. Maribella actually found it was easier to deal with it when she had Hermione by her side. Firstly because Hermione was much better at coming up with excuses to explain Maribella 's sickly appearance and sudden monthly disappearances than the girl herself, and secondly because having to carry such a burden alone had been hard. With Hermione's support, she was sure the next full moon would be much more bearable.

Apart from this new addition to their group of friends, Maribella 's life at Hogwarts didn't change much. Classes were going decently well (much better with Hermione), the food was excellent (always worth noting), and Snape was still as nasty as ever (no comments needed there- a simple 'yuck' will suffice). It was mid-November and much to Maribella 's joy, the weather was turning colder by the day. November also brought the start of the Quidditch season. The first game was on Saturday, and it would be Harry's debut as the new Seeker. The day before the big game, the four of them were spending their break outside in the courtyard, enjoying the freezing weather. A flame of blue fire which could be carried around in a pot had been conjured by Hermione, and the four of them huddled around it, talking, laughing, and even reading (surprisingly not Hermione but Harry). Unfortunately for them, when Snape spotted them sitting out there and started coming over, Hermione had to vanish the fire, leaving them sitting around a cold empty jar of jam.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?" Snape asked as he approached.

Harry showed him the jar. Snape narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow. Harry huffed and showed Snape the book he had been reading, _Quidditch Through the Ages_.

"Library books are not to be taken outside school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."

"He just made that rule up," muttered Harry angrily, as Snape hobbled away. "Did you notice he was limping?"

"Wonder what's wrong with his leg?" Maribella said.

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," Ron grunted.

"Yeah," Harry agreed absently, standing up and staring at the direction Snape had just gone.

Maribella followed his eyes.

"Oh no. Harry, not this again," she said, standing up as well. "You're not going after him."

"Calm down, Mari," Harry said. "I'm just going to ask him if I can have it back."

"Now?" she asked, and Harry nodded. "But he's only just confiscated your book. There's no way he'll give it back."

"She's right," said Hermione, pointing towards the empty jar with her wand and lighting up a fire again. "Stay with us for a bit longer, Harry."

He reluctantly sat back down.

Hours later, he was restless.

"I'm going to get my book from Snape," he finally said, when the sun was already starting to set.

"I'll come with you, then," Maribella said immediately. Harry paused but nodded slowly.

"Rather you guys than me," Ron said, standing and moving to help Hermione as he did so.

"We'll meet you in the common room," Hermione said, and they left in separate directions.

"You're only coming with me to keep me in check, aren't you?" Harry asked, as they made their way to the staff room.

"Honestly, yeah," Maribella answered. "You have a sharp tongue and I don't trust Snape. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Thanks, I guess," he said as they arrived. They knocked on the door and waited. There was no answer.

"Maybe he's not here," Maribella suggested.

"I'll just check," Harry replied. "Maybe Snape left my book here." He pushed the door ajar and peered inside for a few seconds. "Come see this," Harry whispered to Maribella .

Lucky for them, Snape was in there, with Harry's book. But so was Filch, and the two seemed to be deep in conversation. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.

"Blasted thing," Snape cursed. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

"Close the door, Harry," Maribella whispered. Unfortunately for them, the tone of her voice wasn't as calculated as Harry's, and she ended up saying it louder than intended. Snape's head snapped towards them.

"POTTER! Piccinni!" he bellowed, covering his leg at once. Maribella paled and Harry gulped.

"I just wondered if I could-"

"GET OUT! _OUT!"_

The two took off running, and barged into the common room. Hermione and Ron, who had been sitting close together going over Ron's Charms essay, looked up startled.

"Did you get it?" Hermione asked.

He showed them his empty hands.

"You both look like you've just seen the Bloody Baron. What's the matter?" Ron asked.

"Snape," Maribella whispered, leaning forward. "When we got to the staffroom, we opened the door a bit and saw Snape. Filch was with him, bandaging his leg. He was talking about how it was hard to keep an eye on all three heads at once."

"You know what this means?" Harry said. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him, I was right! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"

Hermione's eyes went wide.

"No- he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

"Yes, he would, Hermione," Maribella said. "I know people like him. He's evil."

"Just because he's more rigorous than most, it doesn't mean he's _evil_ ," Hermione easily countered. "Dumbledore trusts him."

"Rigorous? The man is downright cruel," Maribella answered back.

"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," Ron muttered. "I wouldn't put it past Snape."

"But what's so valuable that he'd risk getting caught and injuring his students to get?" Maribella pondered.

None of them had an answer. They all went to bed with millions of questions in their heads. The next morning, Harry's big day was met with tired faces and tired kids. Luckily, Harry at least seemed to have some energy. He was restless, moving constantly around the breakfast table and twirling his food on a fork.

"Take a bit of toast, mate, go on," Ron said, pushing a plate closer to Harry.

"I don't want anything," the boy replied.

"Just a bite," wheedled Hermione.

"I'm not hungry."

"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus down the table. "Seekers are always the ones who get nobbled by the other team."

"Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, scrunching up his nose as Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.

"Seamus is right, Harry," Maribella said. "You need to eat something or you'll regret it later in the match."

As Harry opened his mouth to tell her otherwise, Maribella quickly grabbed a buttered toast and shoved it in his mouth. It was easier than arguing with him about it.

"What was that for?" Harry said, coughing slightly. He glared at Maribella .

"Got you to eat, didn't I?" Maribella said cheekily. Harry merely rolled his eyes, probably so not to open his mouth and risk having her shoving more food down his throat. Soon after, it was time to leave for the game.

"Gryffindor versus Slytherin," said Maribella as she made her way to the stands with Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Dean, and Neville. "Biggest match of the year."

"I'll bet you two sickles Gryffindor wins, but Terence Higgs catches the Snitch," Seamus said.

"Are you betting against Harry?" Maribella asked, raising her eyebrows. Seamus shrugged apologetically.

"Higgs has been playing for longer," he explained.

"I reckon Harry has to be good to have gotten in the team," Ron retorted. "He got _McGonagall_ to vouch for him."

Maribella murmured in agreement.

At eleven o'clock the match started. Although the seats were raised high in the air, it was still difficult to see what was going on, and many students had brought binoculars.

"Wish I had thought of that," Maribella muttered to herself.

Nevertheless, it was clear it'd be a great game when the two teams made their way onto the field. The crowd went wild, and Maribella saw Fred and George, who played as Beaters in their team, wave and send kisses to the stands. Maribella shouted like crazy while Hermione waved her little Gryffindor flag and the boys cheered, waving a banner they had made on an earlier occasion. Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the pitch, her broom in her hand. The two captains, Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint, shook hands and mounted their brooms. Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle, fifteen brooms rose up into the air, and they were off.

Maribella found it easy to enjoy the game, eager to see Slytherin be beaten. It was an exciting Quaffle was constantly going back and forth between the Chasers. The Bludgers were flying, directed by the Beaters. The Keepers were trying to keep the Quaffles from the goals. And the Seekers were circling up high above all the other players. The game was moving so fast, it was hard to keep up. Gryffindor had the Quaffle. And then Slytherin did. No, Gryffindor. Slytherin again. Bludgers flying. Gryffindor retaking the Quaffle. Lost to Slytherin. Attempted score. Gryffindor blocked. Gryffindor had the Quaffle again. And then:

"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" Lee Jordan, the commentator, exclaimed. There was an uproar from the Gryffindors.

"Hello, yeh three," said a voice behind her. Maribella turned to see Hagrid waving at her, Ron, and Hermione.

"Hagrid!" they exclaimed in unison.

"I didn't know you were coming," said Hermione as they budged to make room for him.

"Wouldn' miss Harry's firs' match fer the world," Hagrid said, and then he brought up the large binoculars he had around his neck to his eyes. "No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had too much to do yet."

And it was true. Harry was gliding over the game, looking for the golden ball. He did a loop a few times and dodged all the Bludgers that came in his direction, but that was about it.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying. "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers- two Weasleys and one Chaser Bell speed over toward- wait a moment- was that the Snitch?"

Harry had seen it! He dived downwards after the streak of gold, with the Slytherin Seeker not too far behind. Maribella screamed, shouted, and cheered along with her housemates (and frankly, three quarters of the school. No one wanted Slytherin to win). Lacking a flag or banner to wave around, she unwrapped her gold-red scarf from her neck and started swinging it wildly.

The two Seekers were neck and neck, but Higgs' Cleansweep 7 was no match for Harry's Nimbus 2000. The latter sped past the Slytherin, hand outstretched, almost there, almost there-

WHAM!

A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors- Marcus Flint, the Slytherin captain, had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, with Harry struggling to maintain himself on top of it. Maribella dropped her scarf in shock, and it landed under one of the seats further down.

"FOUL!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, cupping her hands around her mouth in an attempt to be heard over the crowd.

"Send him off, ref!" Dean yelled angrily.

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.

"So- after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating-"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall, sitting to his left.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul-"

" _Jordan, I'm warning you-"_

"Alright, alright. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor…"

"You tell 'em, Lee," Maribella yelled out, and then to her friends: "I'll be right back."

Maribella hopped down the stands two at a time. She bent down to retrieve her scarf from under one of the benches. Suddenly she heard gasps and shrieks.

"What's happening?" she asked to no one in particular. She stood up quickly, only to bang her head hard on the wooden surface of the bench she was under and fall flat on her face.

"Ow," she grunted, and then carefully lifted her head up to examine what had happened in the game. Once she took in the situation, she let out a gasp herself. Harry's broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. It jerked to the left and to the right, plumped straight down, and came quickly back up, clearly out of control. Maribella ran back up.

"What's happening?" she asked desperately.

"Did something happen to the broom when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark Magic- no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

 _No kid…?_ Maribella thought, and then she realized. She seized Hagrid's binoculars and started frantically looking at the crowd, searching for someone in specific. And… there he was.

"Hermione, look," Maribella said to the girl, passing over the binoculars and pointing to the stands opposite them. Snape was sitting there the middle of, his eyes fixed on Harry, muttering non-stop under his breath. "See, I told you- _evil_."

"He's doing something- jinxing the broom," Hermione said.

"Give it here, let me see," said Ron, grabbing the binoculars. "Bloody hell! What should we do?"

"I don't-" Maribella started but was interrupted by Hermione.

"Leave it to me."

Before they could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Several agonizing minutes passed. Maribella was terrified of what could happen to Harry if he fell. It was a huge drop.

"Come on, Hermione," she heard Ron whisper.

Finally, to Maribella 's immense relief, Harry's broom seemed to have settled, and he pulled himself back on it. Maribella sunk down in her chair, her legs weak. She didn't even realize Harry had made a dive until a second later when she heard him shouting from the crowd.

"I've got the Snitch!" Harry waved it above his head.

"What?" Maribella said, standing up at once. "When did that happen?"

"Did you not see it?" said Ron, excitedly. "Nearly swallowed the Snitch, he did."

At that moment, Hermione came back.

"Nice going, Mione!" Maribella exclaimed.

"Probably won us the game," Ron agreed.

"And saved Harry's life," Maribella added. "What did you do?"

"Set Snape on fire," Hermione gushed.

Maribella and Ron gaped.

"You didn't!" exclaimed the boy.

"Oh, but she did," Maribella said with a laugh. "Always knew your good-girl attitude was just a facade."

"It is not!" Hermione protested. "I just… made an exception." But she had a cheeky grin, and the trio laughed heartily. Together with the Gryffindors, they went to wait by the locker rooms, and when Harry came out, face still sprinkled with sweat, they all cheered.

"Harry!" Maribella pushed through the crowd, getting to Harry before any of the others could and throwing her arms around him. "Your little stunt with the broom scared the wits out of me." Maribella immediately regretted the decision to hug her friend when she felt Harry's damp arms hug her back.

"Still won us the game," Harry said with a grin.

"Congrats," she beamed then pulling back. "Right, well, you're slightly- ah- moist, so…"

"Am I?" Harry said with a laugh and then proceeded to grab her in a headlock, shoving her head under his clammy armpits. Maribella shrieked just as Ron and Hermione approached.

"Ease off, Harry," Ron said, and Harry let her go. "Great job, mate!"

"We knew you could do it, Harry," Hermione smiled, also moving to hug him tightly.

Hagrid then came up behind them.

"Yeh alright, Harry?" he said. "You deserve a strong cup of tea after tha' game. Me treat!"

More people high fived and congratulated Harry as they walked past. Twenty minutes later, Marcus Flint was still howling about the rules Harry had supposedly broken and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results to anyone who'd hear it. The quartet, however, heard none of it, as by that time he was already settled in Hagrid's hut, four steaming mugs of tea in front of them.

"It was Snape," Ron explained a while later as they discussed the game. "We saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you," he told Harry.

"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't noticed what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

Maribella glanced at her friends, thinking about Halloween night and what she and Harry had seen the day before.

"We found out something about him," Harry finally told Hagrid, as if reading her thoughts. "He tried to get past the three-headed dog at Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."

Hagrid dropped the teapot.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.

" _Fluffy?_ "

"Yeah, he's mine. Bought him off a Greek chappie I met las' year. A sweethear' once yeh get ter know 'im properly."

"Is he?" Maribella asked eagerly just as Ron scoffed. Magical creatures were among the most fascinating beings to exist in Maribella 's opinion. Also, Ron hadn't realized, but any extra information on Fluffy could help them. Egging Hagrid on was just what they needed.

"Absolu'ly," Hagrid said, with a fond look on his face. "Lemme know if yeh're int'rested, Mari. Maybe yeh two could meet. Not soon, though, I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"

 _Aha!_

"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.

"Now, don't ask me any more," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to _steal_ it."

"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione.

The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.

"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid," the girl went on. "I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

"I'm telling yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid in a tone that reminded Maribella just how intimidating the man could be. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all four of yeh- yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guarding, that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel."

"Ah-" Harry said, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"

Hagrid looked furious with himself, and tea time was officially declared to be over.

* * *

 **Another one down! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter... finally getting to the climax of the story! Next chapter up will show a little more of Mari's home life.**


	7. A Well Deserved Break

A pearly moon shone in the night sky, the only source of light for miles to come. It was a particularly freezing night, towards the end of December, and the grounds were covered in a brilliant white that contrasted beautifully with the dark sky. The silence was absolute. There was no dawn chorus, no symphony of sound, no animalistic orchestra. The world was entombed in a dome of silence. Winter's deadly clutch had suffocated all life from the outside world. All life but one.

A nearby forest protected the creatures from the glacial temperatures, but it too had been affected by the hurricane that was winter. Stripped of its leaves, it lay naked to the harsh world. Inside it was a wolf of sorts. Its thick blanket of fur wasn't enough to shield it from the lacerating winds. The fearful beast had been defeated by nature's deadly powers. The creature whined and howled to the moon as if begging it for help. Its cries were heard, if not by the moon, then by all living animals nearby, and a half-man half-horse being approached it. The wolf snarled, but the other animal didn't look wary.

"Return, child," it said to the wolf, "The moon may shine, but when dawn breaks you will transform back and drown in the snow. Your body will not resist." The wolf growled, baring its teeth menacingly.

" _Return_."

The wolf howled once more, but it understood the message. It turned and ran out of the forest, towards a castle. The first rays of sunshine broke the seemingly impenetrable darkness, and the wolf stopped abruptly, panting hard. The sun was having a strange effect on the animal. It was transforming. Its fur disappeared almost completely, hiding under the beast's now exposed skin. Its bones were forcibly decreasing in size and width. Its slanted spine straightened with a snap. Each paw molded into a hand. No longer did it have a snout, or fangs, or eyes as sharp as an eagle's. The whole process was torturous. The wolf let out bestial whimpers and then human screams. Its whole body trembled and shook wildly until with a last weep _it_ turned into a _she_ \- and passed out.

It was only hours later that Maribella Piccinni woke. The first thing she noticed was that she lay in a bed, not the snow, or on hard ground. Thankfully, she had been moved. Once noticing Maribella was awake, Madame Pomfrey came over with Maribella 's monthly dose of Invigorating Draught.

"You look exhausted, dearie," said the Healer kindly as Maribella took small sips of the potion. "Thank goodness for that Wolfsbane Potion, or you would look worse," She then muttered softly to herself, "And to think he went through all of it without the potion. Poor, poor dearie."

This grabbed Maribella 's attention. Thrice had she heard of that other werewolf. Twice had she heard and done nothing. But this time, maybe driven by exhaustion, maybe by curiosity, maybe by the need to have someone to relate or look up to, she decided to look.

Ever since hearing about Nicolas Flamel, Maribella and her friends had been going to the library every other day, looking for information on him- even more so for the past few weeks, since holidays were approaching and both Maribella and Hermione would interrupt their research to go home. When they went to the library today, Maribella decided, she'd start looking for the other werewolf, beginning with the student records.

The Infirmary door opened, snapping Maribella out of her thoughts. In came Hermione, stumbling slightly under the weight of all the enormous books she was carrying.

"Morning, Mari," Hermione said, pulling a chair and sitting down heavily. "I brought you your homework."

 _Some things never change,_ Maribella thought, thinking of the morning she woke to a similar situation months ago.

"Also brought you this," Hermione continued, pulling out a bar of chocolate and handing it to Maribella . "Always makes me feel better," she said warmly, and Maribella smiled at the girl's generous actions. "How was your night?"

"As horrible as you'd expect," she answered, taking the chocolate bar and pocketing it for later. "Did Ron and Harry ask?"

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "They haven't got a clue, so don't worry. You know how thick they can be."

"Let's thank Merlin for that," Maribella said, and the two girls shared a grin. Hermione then stood up. It was half an hour till lunch, and it was time to go to the library. Maribella threw her covers off her body as well, feeling a whole lot better.

"Are you sure you want to come today?" Hermione asked, looking worried.

"Yeah," Maribella said. "Let's go find the boys."

They found them in the Great Hall, which was being decorated for the Christmas party. It looked splendid, with mistletoes and garlands all around the walls and no fewer than twelve Christmas trees standing tall and proud, all impeccably adorned with candles, holly berries, and even hooting golden owls. They towered over everyone, including the ginormous Hagrid. The man himself stood with Harry and Ron in the far corner, looking deep in conversation.

"Morning," said Maribella as she and Hermione approached.

"Mari, you're back!" said Harry.

"Has your brother recovered from Dragon Pox?" asked Ron.

"Huh?" Maribella asked, confused. Hermione gave her a pointed look. Oh. It was the excuse Hermione had used to throw them off. "Oh- oh, yes, he has, thanks Ron," she said quickly.

"Right. Ron, Harry," said Hermione, "we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron.

"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the Hall. "A day before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"It's not for homework," said Maribella , chuckling at the unlikeness of that thought. Homework? So close to the holidays? As if.

"Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is," Harry told him brightly.

"You _what_?" Hagrid looked shocked.

"We've been trying to-"

"I heard yeh the firs' time. Listen here yeh four, it's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione, unapologetically.

"Well, I'm sayin' nothin'," said Hagrid flatly.

"Just have to find out ourselves then," said Ron, and they hurried off to the library.

Usually, Maribella and Ron spent their time in the library together, looking through the weirdest titles they could find and betting chocolate frogs on who could find the funniest-sounding name or the oddest-looking beast, while Harry and Hermione took things more seriously. This time, however, as Ron meandered through the shelves, pulling books off at random, Maribella strode right past him into the section where she'd find the student records. She was set on discovering who had been infected with lycanthropy during their time at Hogwarts. She pulled out the records from the 80s, the 70s, the 60s and decided that that was enough for now. She moved to sit with Hermione, who had a pile of manuscripts to her right, and a list of the titles scribbled on a notepaper to her left, and was slowly going through all of them. Harry sat nearby, looking bored as he flipped through _A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry_.

"Mari," Ron said, holding a book under his arm, "you won't believe what I- Are those student records?" he asked, taking the papers from her hands.

"Uh, yes. I'm trying to see if I can find anything about Flamel during his time at Hogwarts," Maribella lied nervously.

"In the seventies?" Harry asked suspiciously, eyeing the records.

"I'm- I'm just a very... thorough researcher, checking every possible date," Maribella replied and swiftly grabbed the papers back.

"What makes you think Nicolas Flamel even attended Hogwarts?" Hermione raised her eyebrows quizzically.

Maribella glared at the girl. Why, they were meant to be on the same side.

"I'm just making sure." she grumbled finally, letting her eyes wander over the names.

"There's nothing in this!" Harry moaned a few minutes later, slamming his book shut.

Maribella looked up briefly from reading _Lupin, Remus (1971-1978)_ 's file and rolled her eyes.

"Find another book, then," she said, licking the tips of her fingers and turning the page.

"We've already looked everywhere!" the boy complained again.

"Not in the Restricted Section," Ron quipped. Harry took the suggestion seriously and wandered over to the section.

"Harry," Hermione called after him.

"Just let him go Hermione," Maribella said, looking back at the papers. "Who knows. Maybe he'll find something that gets us going." And happy to finally have some silence, she focused her attention and efforts on the names. No more than five minutes later, they heard Madam Pince, the librarian, angrily chasing Harry out of her library.

"Funny, isn't it? She loves the quiet, but whenever she's the one who makes a sound, it's like Seamus trying to turn water into rum all over again," said Ron, and the girls chuckled.

"This should be enough for today, then," Hermione said, looking defeated. "Put the books away and we'll go to lunch," she ordered, and the trio stood up. They met Harry outside in the corridor, who looked as disappointed as they felt.

The next day marked the start of the holidays, and Maribella and Hermione would be going back home.

"You will keep looking while we're away, won't you?" said Hermione. "Send an owl if you find anything."

"Have fun having Christmas dinner with Snape," Maribella said with a grin. "I'll see you after the holidays."

"Happy Christmas," the boys replied.

Maribella and Hermione followed the line of students down a path to the small station where the Hogwarts Express waited.

"Do you think the boys will find anything while we're gone?" Hermione asked once they boarded and the train started moving.

"Maybe," Maribella said. "We haven't found anything so far, though."

"Oh, I don't know," Hermione said. "They could find something."

"Let's hope so. I'm getting sick of all this searching."

"It's a good thing we're leaving for holidays," Hermione said.

They decided they deserved a break from Nicolas Flamel and Fluffy, so they spent the rest of their journey comparing Wizard-Christmas traditions to Muggle ones. Soon they arrived at King's Cross station and spilled onto the platform eagerly.

"Happy Christmas, Mione," Maribella said.

"See you after the holidays, Mari," Hermione said. The two girls hugged and parted ways.

Now Maribella just needed to find her parents. She stood on the tip of her toes, trying to see over the crowd. Suddenly she felt a pressure on her legs and looked down. Clinging to her bottom half like she'd float away if he let go, was Marco the youngest member of the Piccinni family.

"Marco!" Maribella exclaimed and let go of her trunk, picking up the boy in one rapid move.

"Mari!" he beamed, rolling out the _r_ and hugging her neck. "Missed you."

"I missed you too, _fratellino_ ," she said, affectionately petting the back of his head.

"Marco," said a breathless voice behind them, and Maribella turned. Running towards them was Mr. Piccinni. "Mari!" He smiled once he saw her, enveloping the two siblings in a big bear hug. "I was going crazy looking for you, and I let Marco out of my sight for two seconds and next thing I know he's found you… I swear, Marco is like a tracking Crup, he can find anything," he said, letting out a chuckle, and then more seriously, "Don't tell your Mama I said that."

"I won't, Papa." she grinned at him.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said, ruffling her hair, and then once again embraced her. "We missed you at home. The _Grotta_ isn't the _Grotta_ without its little monster."

"Thanks," Maribella said, rolling her eyes but smiling all the same. "Where are Mama and Anna?"

"In the car!" Marco offered excitedly.

"What's that?" Maribella questioned, not recognizing the peculiar name.

"Oh, it's like a Muggle version of a broom, only slower, you'll see once we get there." Mr. Piccinni took Maribella 's trunk in one hand and her hand in the other. "Mama insisted I learned how to drive. Said I was rotting up inside the house with no work to do."

During winter and fall, Mr. Piccinni's wine-making business took a slow turn, as the tree branches frosted and gave no more fruit.

"Speaking of Anna, she has big news for you," he went on. "Just try and humor her, yeah, Mari?"

They passed through the Platform 9 ¾ barrier discreetly. Luckily, no Muggles looked. Other magical families attracted more attention, what with their screeching owls and eccentric clothing, so the Piccinni family passed overlooked by all. They stopped finally in front of a Muggle vehicle. It was painted in faded red, and though it looked cramped with only Mrs. Piccinni and Anna to begin with, Maribella forced her body inside. Not a second had gone by since she sat herself down before being smothered by Giovanna.

"I missed you so much, Mari!" the little girl said in a rapturous voice.

"Hello, _tesoro_ ," said Mrs. Piccinni, leaning back and kissing Maribella 's forehead.

"You have to tell me everything," Giovanna, said excitedly as the car started moving with a jolt. "How's Hogwarts? Did you make any friends? Do you like them better than you like me?" she finished with a pout.

"Amazing, yes, and definitely," Maribella nodded, grinning at Anna's facial expression. "You'll never guess who I met-" She paused for dramatic effect. "Harry Potter!"

"Like the war hero?" Mr. Piccinni asked as he clumsily moved around a circular object, which supposedly was helping steer the car? Maribella wasn't sure.

"Like the one in my storybook?" Giovanna asked at the same time.

"Yeah, Papa," Maribella answered her father, then directing herself to her little sister: "He has his own storybook?"

"Yeah, and it comes with the cutest pictures," Anna gushed. "I'll show you once we get home."

A few minutes of silence in which the family cherished being reunited.

"Did everything work out fine?" Mr. Piccinni asked softly, "the potion and the transformations... ?"

"Yes, Papa," Maribella answered, side-glancing at Giovanna and Marco. She hated discussing that subject in front of them. Giovanna, however, looked strangely excited at the change in subject.

"I have news," she announced. "I know what I want to do when I grow older."

"And what would that be, Anna?" Maribella asked.

"I want to cure _you_!" Anna said excitedly. "I'm going to cure werewolves!"

A pause. What was Anna thinking?

"Don't be _daft,_ Anna." Maribella rolled her eyes. "You can't cure lycanthropy."

"Can too!" The young girl crossed her arms. "You'll see."

And Maribella did. Throughout the holiday, Anna seemed invested in the whole healing ordeal. She compiled a series of facts about werewolves and even tampered with Maribella 's January Wolfsbane Potion, which got the young girl in trouble with both her sister and her parents. Still, she wasn't discouraged. Anna read Maribella 's potion books during the holiday, learning about all the different ingredients that made up the potion. Maribella herself only read one thing during the holidays: _The Harry Potter Storybook for Younglings; A Simplification of History_ , which was so hilariously inaccurate, she immediately decided Harry Potter himself needed to read the novel.

Christmas itself was wonderful. The decorations were beautiful, with fairy-lights, everlasting icicles, and enchanted snow falling from the ceiling. In every few corners were hidden mistletoes (only for show, of course. No one wanted to see their Great Grandma locking lips with their little brother.) Like your typical Italian family, the Piccinni family was huge, and the _Grotta_ found a group of at least fifty relatives to accommodate on Christmas Eve. It was a simple party, as the real celebration would be the next day. The meal was awash with an abundance of self-replenishing fried fish and roasted vegetables (never meat during _la Vigilia_ , or Christmas Eve), and Mr. Piccinni's fine wine. Having the miracle of never-ending wine was a deed to the adults, and by the end of the evening, everyone drunkenly stumbled home, with a full belly and a tired smile.

Everyone was back the next day for the Christmas lunch, which, unlike the previous evening, was mostly meat-based. The _Natale_ lunch began with a classic antipasto spread featuring dry cured meats, salumi, fine Italian cheeses, briny olives and artichokes. Then, of course, came the pasta dishes: lasagne, ravioli, and farfalle for the kids, with no less than three different types of sauces. The event lasted for the better part of the afternoon.

Maribella enjoyed herself immensely, always taking joy in seeing intoxicated adults (a hilarious sight). When her Great Aunt Donatella approached, speaking fast Italian (never mind that Maribella didn't actually speak the language), Maribella threw her off expertly with quick " _s_ _ì, grazies_ " and " _Buon Natales_ ". The day was spent out in the snow with her siblings and cousins, building snow goblins and having snowball fights. Tesoro was in a particularly bad mood all day from it, constantly being made a target for the kids' snowballs. Later in the day, the children got a right laugh when Maribella snuck up on her parents and exploded a Christmas cracker in their faces. As the sun set, she crowded around the table with the other children, longing to have a slice of _panettone_ , a delicious sweetbread filled with candied fruits and chocolate chips, definitely the highlight of the day.

At night, when everyone had already departed and Mr. and Mrs. Piccinni were swaying to Celestina Warbeck's You Charmed the Heart Right Out Of Me, Maribella received letters and presents from her friends. She got a box of chocolate frogs from Ron and a note saying : _Now you'll be able to pay me properly when I win our bet next time we go to the library -Ron_. She chuckled, appreciating the present even more when she remembered Ron's financial condition.

Hermione gave her a book called _Hairy Snout, Human Heart_ , describing the heartrending account of one wizard's struggle against lycanthropy, which the entire family found to be fascinating, and Anna insisted that Maribella lent it to her sometime. Unfortunately, Maribella would only be able to give her friends their presents after the holidays, because the Piccinni family didn't have an owl. She spent the rest of the night curled by the fire with Tesoro, devouring the book.

The festivities didn't usually end on December the 25th, continuing on until January 6th, the Epiphany day, where children would either get candies or coal and the family would exchange presents. This year, however, Maribella wasn't able to participate, as school started soon after New Year. She didn't let that fact bring her down, always excited to see her friends.

All in all, it'd been a very good holiday.

* * *

 **Honestly? Coolest chapter ever, to me anyways. We got to see a little of how a typical Italian Christmas would go (that required a lot of research, I'll tell you that)! As always, thanks for reading, and reviews are always welcome!**


	8. Back to School

"Have a good second term!" Fatima Piccinni shouted to her daughter as the Hogwarts Express began to move. It was time for eleven-year-old Maribella to go back to school.

"Bye Mama!" the girl yelled back, sticking her head out of the window and waving until the older woman disappeared from view. Then, the girl turned back to her compartment companion.

"So," she said, "did you have a good holiday?"

"I did." Hermione Granger nodded. "I got a lot of our homework done."

Only Hermione would enjoy doing homework during Christmas break.

"My holiday was great too," Maribella said. "But I didn't find anything on Nicolas Flamel."

Truthfully, it hadn't even occurred to her to look or ask her parents. The conversation shifted back to holidays, and by the time the train rolled into Hogsmeade station, Hermione and Maribella were all caught up. They found Harry and Ron eating dinner.

"Did you find out anything about Nicolas Flamel?" Maribella asked after greeting the boys. She looked around briefly to make sure no one else was listening.

"No," Harry said, "but you should hear what did happen. I got an Invisibility Cloak for Christmas-"

Maribella gasped. Those were really rare.

"Apparently it was my father's," Harry continued, "Someone sent it to me, saying it was in their care and they were passing it to me. I thought maybe I could get into the Restricted Section of the library—"

"You got an _Invisibility Cloak_ for Christmas, and the first thing you do is go to the _library_?" Maribella asked incredulously.

"Yes, but-" Harry started but was interrupted.

"What were you thinking, Harry?" Hermione whispered, her eyes widening, "If Filch had caught you!"

"He didn't," Harry said, "but that's not the point. I couldn't find anything in the books."

Harry paused for a moment, glancing over at Ron.

"You might as well tell them," Ron said.

"Tell us what?" Maribella asked.

"Well, we didn't find anything on Flamel, like I said," Harry said slowly, turning back to the girls, "But we found this mirror."

"It was brilliant," Ron said. "You could see whatever you wanted in it-"

"Dumbledore said it showed the heart's desire," Harry said quietly.

"A mirror that shows the heart's desire?" Maribella asked. She sat meditatively, trying to figure out what a mirror like that would show her...Herself as a normal _human_ witch? She shuddered. She never let herself think those wistful thoughts, as in the end it would only bring pain.

"Dumbledore's moved it, though," Harry continued. "He said the mirror's dangerous. He says people have gone mad, obsessing over what they see in the mirror." Maribella could imagine why.

"Why keep something that dangerous here?" Hermione asked.

"It's not like there isn't anything dangerous here," Ron pointed out, "There's Fluffy."

"Maybe Dumbledore's protecting it, like whatever it is he's protecting for Flamel?" Harry asked.

"Probably," Hermione said, "I can see why they want something like that protected."

"It seems Dumbledore's starting his own Gringotts here at Hogwarts," Maribella said, "I mean, first whatever Fluffy's guarding, now this mirror...What else do you think he's protecting?"

None of them had an answer. They went on to their common rooms and separate dormitories for bed, where Maribella curled up in her bed, comfortably drifting off to sleep.

January rolled easily into February, with the damp snowflakes turning into endless rain by the second. Although the quartet did still spend a large portion of their time in the library, they had practically given up on finding Flamel, choosing instead (or rather, being forced to by Hermione) to revise for their upcoming exams.

"It's ages away, Hermione," Maribella whined one afternoon as she sat in the common room, reading her Potions book with Harry. Ron and Hermione had taken a break and were playing wizards chess.

" _Fourteen weeks,_ " the other girl snapped back, not lifting her eyes from the game. Chess was one of the few things Hermione was truly horrid at, which entertained her friends immensely.

"And we are studying thirteen weeks too early for it," Maribella retorted. Harry murmured an agreement, sinking deeper into the Lawson armchair he was seated in, and groaning loudly.

"See?" Maribella said, nodding towards Harry. "Look at what all this studying is doing to him."

Hermione simply rolled her eyes and moved her bishop diagonally, smiling triumphantly when it captured one of Ron's pawns.

"It's not that," Harry said with a sigh, lifting his head up to look at his friends, "I have Quidditch practice now, and Wood has been working us _hard_ for our game against Hufflepuff." He stood up and stretched his arms out wide.

Ron and Hermione, too engrossed in their chess game, showed no signs of hearing what Harry had said.

"Checkmate!" Ron exclaimed, as Hermione's king dropped his sword and knelt before Ron's surviving chess pieces.

"Let's play again," Hermione demanded and magicked the pieces back to their respective places on the board. Maribella scrunched up her nose and stood up as well.

"I'll walk you down." A much more favorable activity. Maribella would not dare to submit herself to possibly hours of Ron and Hermione's never-ending bickering. "Might pay Hagrid a visit as well."

The two set off to the Quidditch Pitch, walking side by side in comfortable silence. Dark clouds loomed over the grounds, and by the time the two arrived at the pitch, the rain had already started to sprinkle down.

"Have fun, Harry!" Maribella grinned at Harry, speeding past the team as she ran towards Hagrid's cabin to avoid getting rained on. The sprinkling soon turned into a full-on storm and the girl struggled to see where she was going. She neared the hut, hopping over and dodging some pumpkins, and taking on the steps to Hagrid's door two at a time. She felt sorry for Harry, who'd have to brave the rain while playing.

"Hagrid!" Maribella shouted, knocking loudly and hoping to be heard over the water splashing on the ground. A rustle was heard from inside and then a faint bark.

"Comin', comin'," the giant shouted from inside. The door opened. The giant's beetle-black eyes glinted happily when they saw her. "Maribella! Come in." He moved away so she could enter.

"Thanks, Hagrid," she said and was greeted by Fang and his slimy tongue.

"Shoulda told me yeh was visitin'," Hagrid said as he moved to boil some water. "Woulda made a cake, I only have lef'overs." He pulled out a batch of somewhat stale rock cakes.

"Oh, no worries, Hagrid," Maribella answered, eyeing the cakes warily. "I've already eaten." She offered him an unsure smile.

"Nonsense," he said and distributed six cakes onto two plates. "Sit, sit." He gestured towards the table and poured the hot drinks into two large mugs. "Hold on-" He abruptly stopped and turned to look at his guest with narrowed eyes. "This isn' abou' Flamel, is it?"

"Just wanted to catch up," Maribella said, putting her hands up. "No ulterior motives." Hagrid nodded and carried on as happily as ever. Truthfully, she had hoped to gain a bit more information, since the quartet hadn't made much progress in their own individual research, but Hagrid was keen on keeping his silence.

"How have you been, Hagrid?" Maribella asked instead. The two spent a tranquil afternoon sharing their own individual stories, drinking Lemon Balm tea, and eating rock cakes (or, in Maribella 's case, sneaking them to Fang whenever she could), with Hagrid telling her a particularly funny story involving a tipsy McGonagall. Maribella tried to subtly sneak Flamel into the conversation, albeit with no success ("So, my cousin Nicolas-"; "I went to Gringotts over break and-"; "Careful with that fire, Hagrid, your cabin is _Flamel_ -ble"). She even tried talking about Fluffy but only discovered the dog had a strange love for Muggle classical music. When Maribella estimated Harry's Quidditch practice was over, she thanked Hagrid for the hospitality and promised to come back again, this time with all her friends, and left.

The rain had thankfully stopped. As Maribella passed by the Quidditch pitch she found the Quidditch team hanging out, talking and laughing together, but Harry was nowhere to be found. She caught Fred and George's eye and mouthed a questioning ' _Harry'_ , but they just shrugged and pointed to the castle, so she waved and started making her way up alone- not that she minded, already accustomed to the grounds. She headed towards the common room, stopping only when she noticed a figure swaying from side to side and trying, in vain, to climb up the stairs.

"Neville?" Maribella asked, squinting to see her classmate with his legs glued together in a tight lock, almost ludicrously hopping up and down. "Neville, what happened?" She rushed to his side, stabilizing his body so he'd stop hobbling.

"Malfoy," he panted, "got me earlier. I can't move my legs!"

" _Malfoy_ ," Maribella all but growled. She bent down to examine Neville's legs, making the boy stumble in the process. "Seems to be a Leg-Locker. I'm sorry, Neville, I don't know the counter-curse…"

Neville whined loudly, opting to sit on the stairs.

"We can always go to McGonagall," Maribella offered, but Neville shook his head wildly.

"I don't want more trouble," he replied, adamant to do anything _but_ go to the professor. Maribella sat down next to him, pensive.

"Hermione could help," the girl said. Neville nodded, and together they made their way up to the Gryffindor common room.

There was an immediate uproar of laughter upon their arrival. Neville was a true sight as he staggered and toppled everywhere he went.

"Hermione-" Maribella started, breathless from having to support Neville's weight. Luckily, the other girl immediately understood and brandished her wand, performing the spell. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, leading him to where she was sitting with a very wet Harry and, interestingly enough, a disgruntled Ron. Maribella followed behind, plopping down on one of the comfiest seats with an ' _Oof'_.

"I met Malfoy outside the library," said Neville shakily. "He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked, and Maribella winced in sympathy.

"Malfoy," she said in between breaths, "can suck it."

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said, pulling out a Chocolate Frog and handing it to Neville. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy?"

"In stinking Slytherin!" Maribella finished for him.

Neville gave them a weak smile as he unwrapped the chocolate frog.

"Thanks, Harry… I think I'll go to bed… D'you want the card? You collect them, don't you?"

As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the card.

"Dumbledore again," he muttered, turning it over. "Remember, Ron, he was the first one I-" He stopped mid-sentence, gasping. "I've found him," He whispered. "I've found Flamel! I knew I had read the name somewhere, I read it on the train coming here- listen to this: 'Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of Grindelwald-' This doesn't actually matter, here. '- _his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel_.'"

"Oh!" Hermione leapt to her feet and scuttled off to the girls' dormitory, before rushing back down with a book that looked almost as heavy as a boarhound. "I checked this out weeks ago, for a bit of light reading," she whispered excitedly. "But I never thought to look in here."

" _Light_ reading?" said Ron, but Hermione shushed him as she opened the book and started flicking through the pages.

"Here it is," Hermione cheered, and her friends leaned in, hanging onto her words. "' _Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the_ Philosopher's Stone."

"Oh," Maribella hesitated, before continuing, "How about Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore hasn't got anything to do with this," Hermione said impatiently.

"But the Chocolate Frog said-"

"Never mind that, Maribella . Don't you see? _The Philosopher's Stone_!" Hermione repeated, emphasizing her words, as if that'd help her three stupider friends understand them better. She met their blank gazes with rolled eyes. "Honestly, don't you three read? Look, read that- there."

She pushed the book towards them, and the trio read:

 _The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)._

"See?" said Hermione, when they had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that _Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry_ ," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

"What do we do now, then?" Maribella asked. "We know what the dog is guarding and what Snape is after. What do we do with this information? There's no way to know when and how Snape's going to get it."

"Let's just worry about finding a way to prevent Snape from getting the stone," Harry said decisively.

It turned out they didn't have much time to be worrying about that. The next few days were spent preparing for Harry's following Quidditch match. While the boy was at practice, Hermione, Ron, and Maribella had their own practicing to do, meeting in an unused classroom.

"What… are we doing here?" Maribella asked the first time her friends pulled her in an empty room.

"Snape's refereeing the match," Ron and Hermione explained.

" _What_?" Maribella screeched, leaning forwards on a table and slamming both hands flat open on it. "But the game- the team- _he's going to kill Harry_!"

Ron and Hermione shared a look.

"We know," Hermione said. "Which is why we came up with a plan. I looked up the incantation for the Leg-Locker curse. I think we should practice it."

"And if Snape tries anything during the game, we'll be right there to help Harry," Ron added.

"You want to curse a teacher?" Maribella raised her eyebrows.

"Mari, you said so yourself, Snape will _kill_ Harry," Ron replied.

"No, yes, I mean, I know. I just meant- _Hermione wants to curse a teacher_?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "Given the circumstances, I've decided it to be necessary."

"Nice," Maribella replied. The trio sat in silence before she added, "Malfoy gave you quite the idea."

"He did," Hermione nodded again.

"Well, maybe that old git is good for something," Maribella said as she stood up straight. "Come on, let's practice it."

They started slowly, first muttering the incantation without wands, working on their pronunciation and wand-movement. Then they tried with wands, casting the spell at each other. Much to Maribella 's frustration, the charm didn't work very well for her. She managed to lift Ron off his feet for a few seconds but not to bind his legs together ("Locomotor _Mortis_ , Mari, not just Locomotor"). Eventually, though, the trio excelled in the charm, and were ready to use it on the day of the match.

Hermione, Ron, and Maribella meandered through the stands, trying to find a spot where they'd be able to get a clean shot if needed, settling finally next to Neville.

"Now, don't forget, it's _Locomotor Mortis_ ," Hermione whispered as they slipped their wands up their sleeves.

"Yes, we know Hermione," Ron snapped. "Don't nag."

"Shh, both of you," Maribella reprimanded. "They're off, pay attention." She itched to draw her wand.

They were watching silently when Hermione unexpectedly gasped. Maribella and Ron eyed the pitch frantically, trying to see if they had missed any suspicious movement. When they didn't find anything, they turned to Hermione.

"Has it occurred to you-" she started.

"Don't _nag_ ," Ron interrupted.

" _Has it occurred to you_ ," Hermione repeated forcefully, "that our curse might not even work? It's a long way away… Maribella doesn't even know the proper spell!"

"Shut it, Hermione, I've learned it just fine." Maribella glared at the girl. She let her eyes wander over the stands. "Look there, we won't even need to use it," she pointed towards the place where the teachers were sitting. "Dumbledore's come!"

The trio let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, instantaneously feeling the tension ease off their shoulders. Harry was surely safe. Snape wouldn't try anything with Dumbledore watching.

"Well, I've never seen Snape look so mean," Ron told the girls. "Ouch!"

Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there." Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.

"Ignore it and it will go away," Maribella muttered to Ron.

"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?"

Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. It was Maribella who had to bite her tongue this time. She inhaled sharply with her fists balled up.

"It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money- you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."

"You'd be ideal for our team, then, Malfoy," Maribella snarled, fuming. "No shame, no common sense, no personality, and, oh yes, no life," she listed off, seething in hot anger.

Malfoy simply stared down at her. "And who are you again?" he sneered, then turned back to Neville. "Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."

Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy. "I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter.

"I'm warning you, Malfoy- one more word-" Ron started.

"Ron!" said Hermione. "Harry-"

"What? Where?"

Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione and Maribella stood up, full attention on the boy as he streaked toward the ground like a bullet.

"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy meanly.

Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches. The next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand. The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly. Hermione and Maribella hugged each other happily.

"Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat.

It was only then that the two realized the brawl happening around them. The girls had been so entranced by the game they hadn't even noticed that Malfoy and Ron were rolling around under their seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.

"Oh, honestly!" Maribella rolled her eyes, tired of Malfoy and his cronies' presence. She whipped out her wand and hexed the blonde boy with the Leg-Locker curse. That got the boys to stop fighting, much to Neville's luck, as he was passed out and had been on the receiving end of both Crabbe's and Goyle's punches. Malfoy yelped, and Ron took advantage of it and gave the other boy one last punch.

"Hope you know the counter-curse as well as you do the spell, Malfoy," Maribella gibed, and Crabbe and Goyle grabbed him by each arm and slouched away. Neville was out cold on the ground, with his face completely red and a dark bruise forming around his eye. Ron and Maribella put his arms over their shoulders, and together with Hermione, they made their way to the Hospital Wing. Once they made sure he was well settled in, they went back to the common room, anxious to start celebrating with the rest of their house.

"That was incredible!" Ron exclaimed happily as they entered. The party had already started, with cakes and drinks being passed around and loud music playing.

"The fight or the game?" Maribella asked, standing on the tip of her toes, looking for Harry.

"Both! I gave Malfoy a black eye and you _cursed_ him! Did you see his face?" Ron let out a loud laugh.

"Mhm, highlight of the year," Maribella replied, absently. "Hey, have you seen Harry?"

"Probably changing," Ron said, accepting some cake from George. "He'll be here soon," he continued, with a mouthful of cake. They joined in a little group, where the twins were telling a sensational tale of how challenging the game had been with Snape's obvious favoritism and how it took every ounce of the exceptional talent they had to win it, never mind that the game had lasted a little over fifteen minutes. An hour passed before Harry was finally spotted.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked.

"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, Mari hexed him, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handedly! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be alright- talk about showing Slytherin! We're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."

"Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this..."

Harry made sure Peeves wasn't inside a random classroom before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.

"So we were right, it is the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy - and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus'- I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through-"

"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" Hermione asked, alarmed.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.

* * *

 **I'm going to be honest. Although this chapter was a bit slow, I laughed at my own jokes while writing the chapter. I mean- Flamel-bel? Cringy? Very much so. Funny? Come on guys, puns! As always, thank you for reading my story! If you can, please leave a review; when they say those really mean something to the author/ content-creator, they weren't lying. From now on the story will move in a faster pace, and we'll get to see how much Maribella's condition really affects her psychologically.**


	9. Of Dragons and Detentions

As tense as the quartet's life became after that day, weeks passed by and everything remained perfectly in order. It seemed that Professor Quirrell was far braver than he let on. Over the course of the next weeks, he seemed to become thinner and frailer, but Harry was still alive, which meant he hadn't given in yet. With exams approaching in a few months and school work piling on, the quartet thought less and less about the Stone, as it was seemingly safe. Moaning and yawning, they still spent most of their free time in the library trying to get all their extra work done.

"I'll never remember this," Ron said suddenly one afternoon. He threw down his quill, looking longingly out the window, where they could see students from all years enjoying themselves out in the sun.

"Really?" Maribella asked, closing her book as well. "Because I've heard Hermione recite it so many times it might as well be imprinted in my brain." And in a higher-pitched voice she recited, "' _The twelve uses of dragon blood are as follow: one; oven cleaner, two; spot-remover, three-'_ "

"No more!" Ron exclaimed, now throwing his quill at her. Maribella was about to retaliate when-

"Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?" she questioned, surprised. Hagrid had just come out of an aisle of books hiding something behind his back.

"Jus' lookin'," he said evasively. That immediately made Maribella sit up straighter. "An' what're you lot up ter? Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron proudly. " _And_ we know what that dog's guarding, it's the Philosopher's Sto-"

"Don't go shoutin' about it," Hagrid cut him off, looking around quickly. "What's the matter with yeh?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," Harry said, "About what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy-"

"SHHH!" Hagrid hissed, leaning closer. "Listen—come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh."

"See you later, then," Harry said, and Hagrid headed out of the library, still trying to hide whatever book he'd gotten.

"What was that about?" Maribella asked.

"Why was he trying to hide that book?" said Hermione thoughtfully.

"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?" Harry asked, and Maribella shook her head. The Stone was safe, why should they have to worry about it?

"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, though Mari knew that he was only postponing his homework. He returned after a minute, dropping a pile of books on the table.

" _Dragons_!" he whispered. "Hagrid's looking up stuff about dragons!"

That got Maribella 's attention.

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him," said Harry.

"But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon-breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden."

Maribella and Hermione eyed him, surprised at his amount of knowledge.

"My brother Charlie works with dragons," Ron explained, shrugging.

"Why would Hagrid want one, then?" Harry asked.

"Why wouldn't he?" Maribella leaned forward on her seat, suddenly excited. "Dragons are fire-breathing flying creatures who are so… so _awe-inspiring_ , it's hard to explain. Really, you haven't truly lived if you haven't watched the birth of dragon."

"They're dangerous. You can't tame a dragon," Ron, for once the voice of reason, said, giving Maribella a weird look. "Charlie has got thousands of burns of wild ones in Romania."

"But there aren't any wild ones in Britain?"

"'Course there are," said Maribella . "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. But don't worry, they're mostly inoffensive."

"Our lot still has to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, though," Ron completed.

"So what on earth's Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.

"We better go see," said Maribella , who, after getting worked up about the creatures, would not be able to concentrate enough to study.

They packed away their things and hurried down, out of the castle, and to Hagrid's hut. They were surprised to see the windows and curtains were all closed and Hagrid had a fire going, despite the warm weather. They all sat down, refusing the tea Hagrid offered. It was hot enough in there, they didn't need hot drinks as well.

"So- yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"

"Yes," said Harry. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Philosopher's Stone apart from Fluffy."

Hagrid frowned at him. "O' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts- I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."

"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on around here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really," Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."

Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry, Ron, and Maribella beamed at Hermione.

"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... let's see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some o' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout- Professor Flitwick- Professor McGonagall-" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell- an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

"Snape?"

Maribella felt a little sick at those words. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything- except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.

"Yeah- yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."

"But nobody knows how to get past Fluffy, right Hagrid?" Maribella asked anxiously.

"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.

She was about to make another comment when she noticed something. Basking in the huge fire Hagrid had set up was an equally huge shiny black egg. The fire crackled, and Hagrid glanced at it nervously.

"What's that Hagrid?" Maribella questioned, even though in her gut she already knew the answer. Her mother hadn't specialized in dragonology, unlike Ron's brother, but Maribella had seen her fair share of dragons and their offspring. Like she had mentioned earlier, witnessing a young dragon peck its way out of its encasing shell was the apex of her life. Never had she imagined, though, to see such a rare specimen of egg in a wooden cabin at Hogwarts, of all places. Maribella moved closer to inspect it.

"Ah-" Hagrid said, fiddling with his beard. "That's, er…"

"Ron," Maribella called, motioning him over. Out of her friends, he was the only one who seemed to understand the slightest bit about dragons.

"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."

"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.

"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library- _Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit_ \- it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Good read, as well. See here- how ter recognize diff'rent eggs- what I got there's a-"

"Hungarian Horntail," Maribella interrupted. "I can tell because of the color."

"Not quite," said Hagrid, not unkindly. "It's easy to get 'em mixed up. Yeh see, Hungarian Horntails' eggs are cement-coloured, but the fire and soot tends to blacken' 'em up, which is why yeh migh've gotten confused."

Maribella blushed a deep crimson. She hated being wrong about things she knew about, and making such a rookie mistake in front of her friends… _argh_.

"This righ' here," Hagrid continued, "is a Norwegian Ridgeback." he said the last words proudly.

"Those are pretty rare," Maribella mumbled. "And they _do_ resemble Hungarian Horntails."

"They're easier to take care o'. Just gotta keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour."

He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.

"Hagrid, you live in a _wooden house,_ " she said.

But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire, and the quartet had no choice but to leave, hearts heavy with yet another burden.

"We have got to get him to see reason," said Hermione one breakfast. "This is _illegal_. What happens if he is caught?" Just then owls flew in with the mail.

Harry and Ron murmured their agreements, more interested in what Hedwig, Harry's exquisite snowy owl, had brought them. Maribella , who absolutely adored the owl, preoccupied herself with feeding Hedwig bits of her untouched waffle, subtly avoiding speaking to Hermione about their diverging opinions regarding the dragon. Of course the other girl, being her usual perspicacious self, didn't let it slide, raising her eyebrows and nudging Maribella waiting for her affirmation. Upon her silence, though, Hermione grimaced.

"Do you… do you really approve of what he's doing? He can't keep that dragon. Maribella, I can't believe you're _endorsing_ his behavior." Hermione said.

"I'm not _endorsing_ it," Maribella retorted, making Hermione huff in annoyance. "I just want to see the egg hatch."

"You're in luck then," Harry chimed in, grinning. He held up the note he had received, which contained only two words; _it's hatching_.

Maribella immediately stood up, as did Ron, both willing to skip Herbology and head down to the hut, but Hermione wouldn't hear of it.

"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We've got lessons, we'll get in trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing-"

"Shut up," Harry hissed.

Malfoy had been walking past them, and stopped dead in his tracks to listen once he realized how secretive the group of friends were being. He had heard, Maribella was sure of it. His smirk said it all. She opened her mouth- to scream and shout? Wail and beg for his silence? Maybe bargain their way out of this mess?- but before she could say anything, Malfoy turned and left.

"That did not look good," Maribella said to her friends.

"We are _not_ going down to Hagrid's," Hermione said decisively, standing and stalking out of the Hall.

Maribella and Ron kept arguing their case all the way to Herbology, and eventually convinced Harry and Hermione to go over to Hagrid's cabin after the class. When the bell reverberated out in the halls, the four dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the Forest. Hagrid was eager to greet them, hurrying them inside the hot hut.

The egg was lying on the table with long cracks scattered along the shell. There were some odd noises coming from inside and Maribella approached it, almost as enraptured as Hagrid himself. All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split. The baby dragon flopped onto the table.

The first time Maribella had seen a baby dragon peck its way out of its enclosure, she had been frightened. It was a docile breed, at least more amicable than the young Ridgeback Hagrid had acquired, but she had been a small child and she was afraid. Her mother had been called to oversee the birth of the orphaned beast, making sure it'd be dealt with before any Muggles spotted it, and Maribella went along with her. Despite her age, she remembered the moment perfectly- herself clutching her mother's robes as the eggshell ruptured and two small crimson wings plopped out, glistening in the sun. Baby eyes met baby eyes and Maribella instantly fell in love with the sultana-looking being.

Years later and she was equally amazed by dragons. The newborn creature was black, with spiny wings and a skinny jet body. It had a long snout, and when it sneezed, its nostrils widened beyond what was thought to be possible.

"He's… beautiful," Maribella said, mouth agape with fascination.

"Um," muttered Hermione, eyebrows flying up her forehead.

"Isn't he?" Hagrid murmured, reaching out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!" said Hagrid. The pair cooed over the dragon, blatantly ignoring its pointed fangs and menacing demeanor. The other three children, however, didn't share their wonder.

"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face- he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains- it's a kid- he's runnin' back up ter the school."

Maribella uselessly moved in front of the dragon, shielding it from view. Harry bolted to the door and looked out. When he turned to his friends, he was pale.

"It was Malfoy."

* * *

The following week was spent in jitters. Now that Malfoy knew Hagrid was in possession of a dragon, it was only a matter of time before he used that information against the groundskeeper. Even Maribella agreed that it'd be best if the dragon was gone. They tried to talk Hagrid into getting rid of the dragon, who had been affectionately named Norbert, but he was having none of it. It was only when Ron was bitten by Norbert that Hagrid complied, and together they decided to send him off with a few of Charlie's dragonologist friends. They wrote him and anxiously waited for his response, which arrived only a week later.

"Let me see it," said Ron, detaching the letter from Hedwig's left claw. "' _-could you get the Ridgeback up to the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? My friends can meet you up there and take him away while it's still dark,'_ " he read to the others.

"That sounds perfect," Maribella exclaimed, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Yeah, it should be easy enough," said Harry. "We've got the Invisibility Cloak. I think it's big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."

Deciding who those two would be wasn't an easy task. Harry, of course, was a given. Not only was he the owner of the cloak, but he also had a taste for adventure that none of the others had. Conversely, Ron was completely out of question. His bitten hand had swollen to twice its size and he had no choice but to check himself into the Hospital Wing. Hermione point blank refused to go. Her previous experience with roaming around school late at night had been disastrous, and she didn't care much for the dragon. Maribella was conflicted. She'd love to see Norbert one last time, but she had wished hard for her place at Hogwarts, a place she wasn't even sure she deserved given her condition, and taking unwarranted risks was almost out of the question.

The other three seemed to think she was the most suitable alternative.

"You know most about dragons, Mari," said Ron as they sat by his bed in the Hospital Wing.

"We don't need someone who knows about dragons," she countered. "We need someone who can efficiently carry Norbert up to the Astronomy Tower."

"Norbert likes you best," said Harry, mouth full of roast beef as they ate lunch later that day.

"Norbert _seemed_ to like Ron, and look what happened," she retorted. "Besides, it's not like he'll be able to tell who's carrying him, he'll be locked in a box." And Maribella stood up and headed towards the dungeons for Potions, without a look back.

A few minutes later she heard somebody running after her.

"Mari," Hermione shouted.

Maribella rolled her eyes and took a few more steps, mostly to show Hermione she was mad at her. Eventually, though, she slowed down and let her friend catch up.

"Are you," Hermione started, panting slightly, "going to tell me why you don't want to go see Norbert off?"

"It's not like _you_ want go either, Hermione," Maribella said.

"That's different," Hermione said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm me and you're you _, which means_ ," Hermione continued, not letting Maribella , who had opened her mouth, speak, "you should have been excited at the prospect of just spending additional time with the dragon, but you're not."

"Right you are," Maribella said and walked faster.

"Mari," Hermione said, grabbing her arm and giving her a pointed look. For a moment the two girls only stared, Hermione with raised eyebrows and frowned forehead and Maribella with slightly narrowed eyes. A few seconds passed, and Maribella looked away.

"I'm just scared," she started hesitantly. "Not of the dragon, mind you, but of getting caught. When I was younger-" Maribella looked down, embarrassed. "I mean even a few months ago, I had doubts I'd even be invited to attend Hogwarts." She lowered her voice. "I'm a _werewolf_ , Mione. I don't want to give Dumbledore reason to expel me."

"Mari, Dumbledore was the one who accepted you in the first place. He's brilliant. You know he's absolutely brilliant, and if you get caught he'll treat you as he would any other student, I'm sure of it. He won't expel you," Hermione said kindly. "And you'll have the cloak, you shouldn't worry about getting caught. You go up to the Astronomy Tower on Saturday night, let Norbert go, and you'll- Oops, sorry," They had bumped into a platinum-haired boy. "If you really don't want to go, I'll do it," she continued, paying no mind to the disruption.

A pause.

"No," Maribella said. "It's ok. I'll do it."

And on Saturday night, after the other students had long gone to bed, Maribella and Harry bid Hermione goodbye and left to Hagrid's hut. They were stopped in the Great Hall, where Peeves, the resident troublemaker, was playing tennis against the wall. Maribella held onto Harry's robes tightly.

"It's alright," he said. "Peeves can't see us." And they carried on their way, arriving a little later than usual because of the disturbance.

Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate. His eyes were tearful, and Maribella decided she was very glad she had come, if not to help with the dragon, then to console her big friend. She understood perfectly the pain and suffering that came with the loss of a pet.

"There, there," Maribella said, patting Hagrid's back.

"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed him his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."

"They'll treat him well, Hagrid," Maribella said, as Harry covered the crate with the Invisibility Cloak.

"Bye bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, while Maribella and Harry stepped underneath the cloak themselves. "Mommy will never forget you."

How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another- even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier. Their arms were sore, their shoulders throbbing, and their faces were sweating.

"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.

Suddenly there was a movement in the dark. Maribella 's hand trembled so much she almost dropped the crate. She pulled Harry behind a tapestry, forgetting they were already invisible. The two scooted closer to each other, trying to decrease the amount of space they occupied. A lamp flared.

Professor McGonagall, in a tartan dressing-gown and a hairnet, had a student by the ear. Malfoy.

"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how _dare_ you-"

"You don't understand, Professor, Harry Potter's coming- he's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on- I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"

The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the Cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. They sat on the ground, heaving, but still happy.

"Malfoy's got detention!" Harry exclaimed and laughed.

"Shh," Maribella sibilated. "Somebody might hear."

"Relax, Maribella ,"said Harry. "We made it!"

Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness.

Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry and Maribella the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Maribella shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.

"I'm going to miss him," Maribella sighed as they disappeared into the night.

"I won't," Harry snorted. "Come on."

They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon- Malfoy in detention- What could spoil their happiness?

The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.

"Well, well, well," he whispered, "we _are_ in trouble."

They'd left the Invisibility Cloak on top of the tower.

* * *

 **A/N: Ninth chapter, and we're almost reaching our climax. Hope Maribella's hesitation was well-explained. If not, don't be afraid to hit that little review button and send me a question (hint, hint)!**


	10. A Night of Revelations

It took all of Maribella 's willpower not to visibly hyperventilate. This was it. The worst had happened. After Filch caught them wandering in the dark corridors, he took them to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without making any sound. Maribella clenched her fists so hard that she left half-moon marks on her palms. There was no way they were getting out of this one. They were out of bed, creeping around the castle, and had been up in the astronomy tower, which was strictly out of bounds for anyone outside classes, not to mention the dragon. Maribella was already packing her bags in her mind.

In came Professor McGonagall leading, very surprisingly considering Maribella was almost completely sure he wasn't a part of their plan, _Neville_ inside.

"Harry!" Neville burst out the moment he saw them. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag-"

Harry shook his head violently, signalizing that _no they did not have a dragon, Neville please shhhh_ , but it was too late, McGonagall had seen him and heard Neville, and Maribella thought she was going to faint.

"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. _Explain yourselves._ "

Maribella was frozen in place. She looked down, chagrined. Oh, caught right after McGonagall had faithfully defended them to Malfoy. Maribella was mortified.

"I think I've got a good idea of what's going on," said Professor McGonagall when nobody responded. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"

Maribella tried to catch Neville's eyes, as did Harry, but the boy looked hurt and stunned, his head hung.

"That's not true at all, Professor," Maribella said then in a small voice, her face reddening under the Professor's fuming gaze.

"Is it not, Miss Piccinni?" the older woman answered coldly. "Do tell then, what happened?"

Maribella opened her mouth, then closed it. There was nothing she could say that would help their situation. She inhaled and exhaled quickly, a small sound escaping from her lips.

"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! Mr Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. As for you, Miss Piccinni, I'm appalled. After our talk of responsibility, I assumed you would know better."

This was it then. The end of Maribella 's studentship at Hogwarts.

"All three of you," McGonagall continued, "will receive detentions."

Maribella looked up. Had she said-

"Yes, detention for _all three of you_ , Mr. Longbottom…"

McGonagall carried on speaking, but Maribella was no longer listening. She felt like jumping around and hugging Professor McGonagall until her hat fell lopsided off her head. She felt like grabbing Harry's broom and flying over and under and around Hogwarts, for she had just found her own snitch in the form of detention! She would not be expelled! Maribella was happy. No, she was ecstatic!

" _Fifty?_ " Harry's incredulous voice brought her back.

"You'll lose fifty points _each_ ," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long pointed nose.

"Professor- please, you can't-"

"Don't tell me what I can or cannot do, Potter." Maribella didn't think fifty points were that big of a price to pay. She had expected worse. "Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."

While her friends dragged themselves back to their common room, Maribella was light on her feet. She felt much better, now that it was all said and done. She even enjoyed herself, with Charlie's friends and Norbert. What an adventure it had been!

It was only in the morning that she realized the consequences were a lot more severe than she had expected.

The story spread like wildfire; Harry Potter and his first year friends had lost Gryffindor a hundred and fifty points, and the House Cup was destined to be Slytherin's for the seventh year in a row. With their own house turned against them- as well as Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs- they again were pushed into the library, which turned into the sanctuary the rest of Hogwarts couldn't be.

"Can I borrow your Defense book, Ron?" Maribella drawled one afternoon as she lazily scribbled on a piece of parchment.

"Use your own, Maribella ," Ron said, his voice slightly muffled. He was using his book as a pillow, resting his forehead and arms on it.

"I forgot it in my dorm," Maribella answered.

"Then borrow one from the library."

"Fine," she replied, irritated. She pushed her chair back, delighting herself in the frown on her friend's forehead at the scrape of her chair. She was angry and tired of their forced isolation in the library and was taking it out on her friends. It didn't help that the full moon was only a week away, as were their exams.

She walked through the shelves, passing the student records without a second glance. Another thing she didn't know, probably never would, and another thing that exasperated her to no end. She'd get her sister to look it up for her someday. The younger girl was much more invested in the cause anyway.

She found her book and went back to the table, dropping it forcefully. Hermione hummed discontentedly and Ron lifted his head to glare at her.

"What's your problem?" he snapped.

But before she could replied, Harry arrived and caused them even more dissatisfaction.

"Quirrell's given up," Harry said. "I heard him and Snape. Snape was threatening him and now he's relented."

Maribella groaned loudly just as Ron said:

"Snape's done it then. If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell-"

"There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.

"He probably already knows how to get past him," Maribella grumbled. "Snape knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, and Fluffy is just a dog. A three headed dog, but really, underneath it all. Just. A. Dog." She glared at her hands.

Harry looked at her strangely.

"What's wrong with you?"

"See, that's what I asked," Ron said, leaning forward. "So what do we do, Harry?"

"We go to Dumbledore," Hermione said instantly. "That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

Maribella didn't know if Hermione was purposefully playing at her weaknesses and fears but still decided it was a cold move to mention expulsion. She resolved to be mad at Hermione as well.

"But we've got no proof!" said Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Hallowe'en and that he was nowhere near the third floor- who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's no secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."

Hermione and Maribella were convinced, but Ron wasn't so sure.

"If we just do a bit of poking around-"

"No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around." And he pulled a map of Jupiter towards him. Maribella rolled her eyes at his bossy attitude but was quiet nevertheless.

The following night marked the date of their detention. At eleven o'clock they said goodbye to Ron and Hermione and went to the Entrance Hall with Neville. Filch was already there- looking oddly satisfied- and so was Malfoy, who the trio had forgotten would have detention with them. His presence just made Maribella more annoyed.

"Follow me," Filch said, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he gibed, leering at them. "Oh yes… hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed… Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

Their punishment must be something horrid if Filch was so content.

The waxing gibbous moon shone over their heads as they walked. It would've been bright enough to light up their way if not for the clouds scudding across it.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started," a voice resounded.

Was that Hagrid? The one thing that could lift Maribella 's spirit was Hagrid and his joyful comportment. She looked at Harry and saw that he felt the same. Filch must have noticed, though, because soon after he said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourselves with that oaf? Well, think again- it's into the Forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

Maribella huffed. She had seen enough of the Forest in her monthly routine and going back in there with her friends (and Malfoy) would certainly bring on trouble.

"We can't go in there at night," she heard Malfoy whine, "there's all sorts of things in there- werewolves, I heard."

Neville, who was walking in between Harry and Maribella , grabbed both their sleeves, scared by Malfoy's comment, and almost fell when Maribella stopped dead in her tracks.

"Are you daft, Malfoy?" she snapped angrily. "Do you understand the implications of what you just said?" She was met with blank stares from all three of her companions. Hello? If there were werewolves in the forest, there would surely be werewolves, human-formed, in the castle, but as far as they were concerned, there weren't any. The blatant ignoring of the human within the beast was typical werewolf discrimination.

Maribella huffed again. "The moon isn't even full tonight." She shrugged off Neville and stomped ahead.

"It looks pretty full to me," she heard a snarky reply coming from behind.

"It's not a full moon, it's a _waxing gibbous moon_ ," she shouted over her back.

"Did she say _gibbon_?" she heard one of the boys ask and bit her lips as not to say a very, very rude word.

She found Hagrid before any of the others. He strode towards her out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.

"Yeh alrigh', Mari?" he asked as she approached him.

She shrugged but crossed her arms. "People are infuriating."

"Tha' time o' the month again?" he asked, patting her shoulders as if to comfort her.

"Close to," she replied, feeling much better just from the short interaction with the man.

Then the others arrived.

"Abou' time, Filch," Hagrid said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"'Snot your place ter lecture 'em. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added, his voice cracking with glee.

Maribella rolled her eyes, annoyed for probably the fifth time that night. She had been rolling her eyes a lot lately, but it wasn't her fault she was surrounded by idiots.

As soon as Filch was gone, Malfoy turned to Hagrid.

"I'm not going in that Forest," he said.

"Scared, Malfoy?" Maribella jeered meanly.

"Shut up, Piccinni, I'm not scared." Maribella was pleased to hear a defensive note in his voice. "This is servant stuff, it's not for students to do," he explained. "I thought we'd be writing lines or something. If my father knew I was doing this, he'd-"

"-tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Writin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it, doin' summat useful. Or yeh can back off ter the castle an' pack, if yer father'd rather you were expelled. Go on!"

Malfoy glared furiously at him but didn't move. Hagrid nodded, satisfied, and then motioned them to follow him. He led them to the very edge of the forest and down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick trees.

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood." Maribella brought her hands to her lips, mouth open in shock. "There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, this time unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"There's nothin' that lives in the Forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang," Malfoy said quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth. Maribella , quite in her cruel mood, smirked at her feet. Fang had a nasty appearance, but just like Hagrid, he was all size and no attitude. He was as sweet as honey.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid and Malfoy grimaced. "But if it suits yeh… So me an' Harry go one way an' yeh three go with Fang to the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now- tha's it- an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh- so, be careful- let's go.

Harry gave her an apologetic look, and Maribella nodded curtly at him. She had no reason to keep up her snappy attitude towards him, when he hadn't done anything, but still was too generally mad to be completely friendly. Her group took the path to the right, and Harry and Hagrid went to the left.

The forest was black and silent. The towering trees had formed a sort of tunnel over the path, completely blocking out the moon. Their wands were the only light source available at the moment. She kept her eyes to the ground as they walked, looking out for the patches of unicorn blood. Neville kept whimpering by her side, occasionally grabbing her arm when the bushes nearby rustled. It didn't help that Malfoy kept sniggering at him.

"Piss off, Malfoy," Maribella snapped and grabbed Neville's arm, brushing past Malfoy and Fang and walking ahead with the boy. The air seemed to have cleared without Malfoy around. Neville and Maribella walked silently side by side before the boy broke the silence.

"Mari," Neville whispered, "can a werewolf kill a unicorn?"

Maribella was tempted to let Neville walk by himself with Malfoy and Fang. But then she reminded herself that the poor boy probably didn't know any better.

"Neville," she started patiently, "what people fail to understand about werewolves is that we- I mean, _they_ \- are still human. For only one night of the month, they turn into… into _something_ , I don't know, but even then they are still somewhat conscious of their actions because there's a potion they can take that makes them pretty much harmless. The werewolves _I_ know, at least, wouldn't harm a unicorn." Maribella was so _so_ glad to get this off her chest and tell someone who would willingly listen and possibly understand what she meant. It had been bothering her the whole evening. "Besides, there's no full moon tonight, and werewolves can't turn without a full moon. Malfoy's full of gibberish, you shouldn't listen to him." Speaking of- "Neville, where _is_ Malfoy?"

A branch snapped behind them. Maribella whipped around and held her wand tight in her hand. She could feel Neville shaking behind her. Malfoy was nowhere to be found.

"Malfoy?"

Another snap to the left. She pointed her wand towards that direction and urged Neville to do the same. Her wand hand trembled.

" _Malfoy_ ," Maribella snarled, "come out!"

The wind whistled, and suddenly a voice started screaming in Maribella 's head.

 _Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico, Nico…_

It echoed over and over again, bouncing against the walls inside her head until they cracked and crumbled down before her eyes, releasing all the memories she had repressed. She was a little girl again and she was lost and alone and lost and alone. In front of her was a dead mooncalf, the cadaver of the animal, and it looked up at her abruptly and whispered, _you're next_ , and she willed herself to run, but her body was stuck to the ground. And then, it came out. The werewolf. It stood before her, tall, dark, menacing, mouth wet and dripping with hate and hunger. She shrieked and closed her eyes, pointing her wand at it, and finally, _finally_ , her body responded, it was hers again, and she stepped back. She collided with something and opened her eyes to find poor, poor Neville, sobbing and on the ground, his hand pointing straight up to the sky, his wand shooting out red sparks. But hold on. This bit wasn't part of _that_ narrative.

She looked over to the werewolf, only in its place was Malfoy, with red sparks ricocheting off his chest, sparks that came straight from Maribella 's wand. He flinched until he realized no damage had been done and he wasn't in danger. Then he cackled. And Maribella fumed, angry at how pathetic she and Neville looked, two model members of _Gryffindor house of the brave_ , angry at Hagrid and Harry for leaving her alone with Neville, and Fang, and Malfoy, and most of all angry, damn it, _furious_ with the werewolf from that one night years ago.

"Wimps," Malfoy laughed. Maribella stood up straight, ignoring the tingle in her legs.

"D-don't recall you being so courageous yourself, Malfoy," Maribella said. Her words would've been quite effective, had her voice not quivered, "when we entered the forest."

Malfoy stared at her coldly.

"You Gryffindors- every last of you- all show and no go," he spit out. "No wonder you're over a hundred points behind Slytherin. Heard you had something to do with that, eh, Piccinni? Thanks."

"Why, you insolent little-" Maribella growled, but then a crashing sound was heard. In their fear, Malfoy grabbed her arm and Neville grabbed the other, and Fang whined. It, whatever _it_ was, was coming towards them.

"A werewolf?" Neville asked in a small voice.

Maribella narrowed her eyes angrily and pushed both boys away. Though angry, she immediately regretted it. Without the obvious human contact, she was alone again. Her breath hitched, and the world started spinning, spinning, spinning when-

"Mari? Maribella ?" Hagrid was holding her shoulder, giving her what was probably meant to be a slight shake. Maribella coughed and cleared her throat. She was sweating profusely.

"Yes?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light as she wiped her face with her sleeve. The noise had only been Hagrid, as he came towards them. She was ok, she was safe. She was at Hogwarts.

"I asked yeh wha' happened," he repeated.

"Oh," Maribella cleared her throat. "Malfoy snuck up on us and- and scared Neville." Neville nodded, going to Hagrid's side and confirming her story.

"Longbottom, right," Malfoy muttered under his breath.

Hagrid stared at him with disapproving eyes.

"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket yeh three were makin'," he said, and they set off on the trail towards Harry. Maribella walked behind the group, holding her arms and moving them vertically, warming herself.

"Right, we're changing groups- Neville, you stay with me an' Fang, Harry, you can go with Maribella an' this idiot." He gestured towards Malfoy.

So Harry joined them, and they set off into the heart of the forest. Maribella walked side by side Harry, her step less sure, no longer with a gusto for adventure. Harry noticed.

"Are you ok?" he asked, bumping his shoulders with hers. She nodded and moved away. The blood on the ground seemed to be getting thicker, she noticed, keeping her head down and eyes strictly on the ground. Just like her friend should be doing.

"Is it because of what Malfoy said earlier on?" Harry asked. "With the werewolves and the forest? Because I asked Hagrid and there are no-"

"No, Harry, it's not because of the _bloody werewolf_ ," Maribella barked. "I-"

But Harry wasn't listening. They had arrived in a clearing, in the midst of the tangled roots of an ancient oak.

"Look," Harry murmured, holding his arm out to stop Maribella and Malfoy, who had been walking a few steps behind them.

Something bright was gleaming on the ground ahead of them. They moved closer, slowly and carefully. It was a unicorn. The unicorn. But it was dead, a beautiful tragedy. Maribella gasped and moved to get a better look, but Harry stopped her. A slithering sound in front of them made all three freeze. A hooded figure appeared, and it crawled towards the unicorn, dragging its body and cloak with it. Then, it lowered its head towards the ground and began licking the unicorn's wound, guzzling its blood.

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted.

It was just Maribella and Harry then. The hooded figure looked right at them, right at Harry, and it was coming towards them, blood staining its robes. It wasn't interested in her, Maribella realized, but her friend, and she felt the need to protect him. Her fears lay with giant beasts, not cloaked beings. She raised her wand and tried to think of a spell. She heard faint sounds of galloping hooves gallops and thought briefly of the unicorn and its herd, thought it was coming to save them, but no, it wasn't in their nature. Something else then.

Harry staggered backwards, falling to his knees, and before Maribella could react, something jumped over her head, charging at the cloaked monstrosity until it slithered away. It was a centaur. He had white-blond hair and a palomino body.

"Are you alright, Harry?" asked Maribella . She offered him her hand, and he took it, gripping tightly. Harry was blinking rapidly and breathing heavily.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah- what happened?"

At this moment the centaur came nearer them. Maribella tiredly reviewed everything she knew about them. _Half-man, half-horse. Classified as XXXX by the Ministry of Magic. Clairvoyants? Yes, and they are not very friendly to humans._ This one had just saved them, though.

"How do you feel?" he asked as Maribella pulled Harry to his feet and decided he meant no harm to them.

"Fine- thank you- what was that?"

The centaur didn't answer. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar which stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead.

"You are the Potter boy," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time- especially for you." He looked at Maribella . His eyes flared with recognition.

"You, child. You know your way in and out this Forest like no other beast. Return to your carer." Maribella had heard that voice before. In a dream, in a nightmare. " _Return_ , and bring him along."

Maribella stood frozen, avoiding Harry's gaze and the sure question she'd find burning on his lips. The centaur looked up in the sky, admiring the few bits he could see. His face darkened when he turned back to them.

"There's no time. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way."

He lowered himself to his front legs so that Maribella and Harry could clamber on to his back.

"My name is Firenze," he added as an afterthought.

There was more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Two centaurs burst through the trees. One had red hair and a beard, and the other had black hair.

"Firenze!" the black haired centaur thundered. "What are you doing? You have two humans on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"

"Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this Forest, the better."

"What have you been telling him?" growled the centaur. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"

"I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," the other centaur said in a gloomy voice.

"For the best!" his companion said as he kicked his back legs in anger. "What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our Forest!"

"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed. "Do you understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this Forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must." Maribella felt a chill run down her spine.

And Firenze whisked around, with the two children holding onto him as best they could. They plunged off into the trees, leaving the two centaurs behind.

"Firenze," Harry asked after a few minutes of silence. "What was that thing you saved us from?"

Firenze slowed to a walk, before stopping.

"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"

Maribella gulped.

"No." Harry seemed to be startled by the question. "We've only used the horn and tail-hair in Potions."

"It keeps you alive," Maribella said. "Even if you're close to death, it keeps you alive."

"Yes. It is a monstrous thing to slay a unicorn," Firenze said. "It keeps you alive, but at a price."

"A terrible price," Maribella agreed. "You live a cursed life, Harry. From the moment the blood touches your lips, you are destined to a fate worse than death."

"How do you know this?" Harry asked, looking at her strangely. Maribella 's gaze softened. _How could she not? When her own soul was damned to a similar fate?_

"You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself and will have but a half life," Firenze finished Maribella's thought.

"Makes you wonder who would be that desperate, doesn't it?" Maribella pondered aloud. "Who would purposefully, _willingly_ , ruin their own life like that." She couldn't understand.

"If you're going to be cursed for ever, death's better, isn't it?" Harry wondered.

"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else- something that will mean you can never die."

Maribella and Harry exchanged a glance, both thinking of the same thing. The Philosopher's Stone.

"Can you think of nobody," Firenze continued, "who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"

Maribella couldn't really. She looked over at Harry. He looked like he was going to throw up.

"Do you mean," he croaked, "that was Vol-" _Oh!_

"Harry, Maribella , are you alright?" Hagrid was staggering towards them.

"I'm fine," Harry said. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."

"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are both safe now."

They slid off his back. The centaur looked up to the sky and down to Maribella .

"We'll meet again. Soon," he said, eyes rolling up to the moon above. Maribella trembled and walked towards Hagrid, leaving Firenze and Harry to talk.

As they walked back to the Gryffindor common room, Harry was eager to talk about the happenings of the evening.

"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort… and Voldemort's waiting in the Forest… and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich… So now all we've got to do is wait until Snape has the stone and Vol-" he said nervously.

"Stop saying his name, Harry," Maribella hissed and quickened her pace.

"What's the matter with you?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean, 'what's the matter with me'?" Maribella snapped. "Merlin, Harry, we saw You-Know-Who! _You-Know-Who_! He killed a unicorn! And drank its blood, and we saw it, we saw him! Not only that, but Malfoy's been getting on my nerves the whole evening, and you guys- yes, you as well- just kept acting like werewolves were going to come in a pack and mutilate your faces, and that's just terribly generalizing them as a whole and very insulting."

"Werewolves?" Harry inquired. "I don't- why does _that_ matter now?"

"You don't get it." Maribella threw her arms up in exasperation. "It's been a year and you haven't figured it out."

Poor Harry. Maribella knew deep down that he didn't deserve to be shouted at. But at the moment, she was too emotional to acknowledge it.

"What do you mean? What's the matter?" Harry asked, utterly confused.

"Me, Harry," she exploded finally as they neared the common room. "I'm the problem." She faced him. "I'm the danger you, and Neville, and even bloody Malfoy were so worried about. I'm the werewolf." And as soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could swallow them back and stuff them down her throat into her belly. But it was too late, and now Harry was staring at her incredulously, eyes wide and mouth agape.

So Maribella did the only thing she could think of. She ran.

She sprinted into the common room, past the sofa where a snoring Ron and a sleepy Hermione were seated at, up to her dorm and into her bed, sobbing silently until she fell asleep to the sound of her cries.


	11. Big Decisions

The days that followed were some of the worst in Maribella 's life. The full moon was imminent- her supercilious attitude only escalating with its approach- they had their exams, and she was anxiously awaiting You-Know-Who's attack, that could happen at any moment. Worst of all, and the only thing she'd remember in years to come, was the deranging loneliness she felt. She had gotten to nibble on friendship, only for it to be harshly taken from her, and she had no one but herself to blame. If only she had kept her mouth shut...

They had tried to talk to her, of course. To officially end their friendship, maybe. To berate her for tricking them into developing their bond, most likely. To insult, yell, cower in fear- all feasible and understandable alternatives. But she would never know. Whenever she was approached by either Harry, Ron (she was sure he knew. Harry wouldn't keep such thing from him) or even Hermione, she bolted.

For example, the same evening she had impulsively blurted the truth about her identity. Maribella had hidden herself in the comfort of her blankets, surrounded only by heat and snot, when Hermione walked in the room.

"Mari," she whispered, "come on down, we need to discuss what happened during your detention." Maribella turned away, her back facing her friend, as selfish as ever. She let her eyes flutter closed, and forced her shoulders to move up and down theatrically, mimicking sleep.

"Maribella ," Hermione repeated, "Harry and Ron want to talk."

Maribella let out an excessively dramatic sigh.

" _Mari_ ," Hermione tried, this time shaking the other girl slightly. No response, and Hermione walked away.

Neville and even her dormitory companions were all sympathetic, sensing their fall out, but she refused stubbornly their compassion. Never would she be able to nurture a relationship with another individual. Never would she allow herself to be at the mercy of love.

These days, Maribella had her own schedule that she followed fanatically, so to avoid her (ex) friends. She'd wake up early and head to breakfast, having time to only grab a fruit and some milk before the other students arrived. Then she'd find an isolated corridor or classroom in the castle to eat her breakfast in and do some last minute studying. She'd wait for the first bell, the second, and she would rush to take her exams, which now that they were all over, she could affirm she had done horribly in.

In their written exams, she had squirmed and sweated more than she had answered questions. It was nothing compared to her practical exams, though. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across the desk. Maribella felt awkward, waiting for her turn. She'd be called just before Harry (Piccinni, then Potter), and as they waited, the boy was frantically trying to catch her eye. When it was finally her turn, she was so flustered she made her pineapple do some embarrassing breakdancing, ending its performance with snazzy jazz hands. But no tap-dance. Professor McGonagall watched her accidentally transform her rat into a hamster, which Maribella herself thought quite impressive, considering it was advanced-level transfiguration, but the Professor didn't appreciate it as much. She eventually managed to make a plain decorative box and hurried out the door before McGonagall could realize it was squeaking. Their last exam was Potions, and by then Maribella was so exhausted she hadn't even noticed Snape breathing down her neck and managed to hand in an acceptable sample.

After the exams, she would skip out on lunch, obviously. Too many people and too much exposure. Instead, she'd find refuge in the school grounds. Once she even payed a visit to Hagrid, though that had been cut short after the giant happily mentioned her friends, and Mari, as awkward as ever, told him they weren't actually on speaking terms. That particular day, however, she headed to her dormitory. The full moon would shine bright the following night, and if one could judge from Maribella 's disposition during that entire week, it'd be a hard one. She needed her rest. It had been a total of five minutes since she laid down when Hermione burst into their room.

"Wha-"

"Maribella ," Hermione said, grabbing her hand immediately and pulling her up. "You've got to come. Now."

"Hermione, I can't-" Maribella started, pulling her hand back.

"We haven't got the time," Hermione interjected impatiently. "And you're being stupid. They're your friends."

" _Were,_ " Maribella corrected. "You don't understand because you were raised by Muggles, but werewolves-"

"Save it, Maribella ," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. "I've read all about them. Come on down. Harry and Ron are waiting, it's about the _Stone_." That caught Maribella's attention. That, along with Hermione's distress, got her to move and walk down the stairs hesitantly.

She found the boys huddled together by the window talking quietly, also looking very troubled. They stopped speaking at once when they spotted her. Hermione stood behind her, arms crossed, waiting to see how everything would play out. Maribella stared at her feet and the boys stared at her.

"Stop it!" Hermione exploded, after a few minutes of silence. "The three of you, stop it now. We have more important matters at hands than this idiotic awkwardness you're provoking. _You two!_ " Hermione whirled around, glaring at Harry and Ron, both of who flinched under her gaze. "Show her what you brought."

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and pulled out, from where she didn't know, a plate filled with food. Meats, breads, veggies, it had it all. Maribella 's stomach grumbled at the sight of it.

"We noticed you haven't been eating lunch," Harry said.

"Or Hermione did," Ron corrected. "But this was our idea."

It was such a small action, one that most would believe to be meaningless, but it made her heart soar.

"We wanted to give it to you yesterday, but we couldn't find you," Harry said, and Maribella looked down. That had been her fault.

"We figured you could use the food," said Ron. "I'd miss lunch terribly if I skipped it everyday."

"Yeah, but you're you, Ron," Maribella said in a small voice, but with a small grin on her face. "Us normal people, who aren't _famished_ all the time-"

"You, normal?" Ron snorted. And then he paled, realizing that maybe now wasn't the best time to make such a joke.

But Maribella laughed, enjoying the banter she had missed so much.

"Good," Hermione said, satisfied with their interactions. "Now, _you_ , Maribella . You've got to understand. We know you, we're your friends! We like you for who you are, and nothing will change that, much less you being-"

" _Hermione_ ," Harry hissed. The other girl gasped and put her hands over her mouth _._

"I'm so sorry," she said, voice shaking. But again, something that would usually make Maribella wary, only made her want to laugh. Finally things felt like they were going to be alright. As long as she had them by her side, she'd willingly face down a thousand full moons. She hugged and thanked each one of them. Then they moved onto more serious matters, and things were back to normal.

"We went down to Hagrid's," said Harry, lowering his voice, "and we figured Snape already knows how to get past Fluffy. He's all set, I can feel it," he said gesturing to his scar.

"And?" Maribella said. "Did _you_ find out how to get past Fluffy?"

"Hagrid wouldn't say," Ron grumbled. Maribella sunk back into her armchair.

"What now?" she asked. Nobody knew what to say.

"Dumbledore," Hermione spoke up suddenly. "We've got to go to Dumbledore. We tried putting it off, but there's no other option."

"Hagrid told the stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort," Harry reasoned. "It must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us." They all agreed.

"Firenze might back us up," Maribella said as they walked out of the portrait hole. "If the other centaurs don't stop him…"

"Yeah," Harry agreed absently. "Where's Dumbledore's office?" They looked around, as though a sign might appear and lead the way.

"I guess we'll just have to-" Harry began, but a voice rang out across the hall.

"What are you four doing inside?" It was Professor McGonagall. She gave them a look that just said _you are plotting something, and I don't like it_. Harry tried explaining as well as he could their situation, but unfortunately he wasn't very good with words and ended up angering the Professor even more.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," Professor McGonagall finally said, nostrils flared. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once. He will be back tomorrow. For now, I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." The finality in her voice was indisputable. Defeated, the four went back to the common room.

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said as they walked through the portrait hole. "I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone before Snape."

"You're mad!" exclaimed Ron.

"Harry- it's too dangerous," Maribella said.

"After what McGonagall and Snape said? You'll be expelled!" said Hermione.

"Don't you guys understand?" Harry shouted with so much spite Ron, Hermione, and Maribella simultaneously flinched. "I _have_ to. This isn't about getting expelled, it's bigger than that. If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort might come back! Losing points doesn't matter now, can't you see it? I'm going through the trapdoor tonight and nothing you three say is going to stop me!" Then he started mumbling to himself. "Of course, I just need to find a way of getting past Fluffy… It's just lucky I got the Invisibility Cloak back-"

"Wait," Maribella interjected, "you've got it back? How-"

"Nevermind that," Ron interrupted anxiously. "It isn't important right now. The real question is- will it cover all four of us?"

"All- all four of us?"

"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"

"Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful…"

"We still need to get past the dog," said Harry as they watched Hermione walk away.

"We do. Any ideas, Maribella ?" asked Ron.

"None," she replied. "I hadn't even heard of three-headed-dogs before Fluffy."

" _What_?"

"The other day you said he was just like any other dog!"

"Yeah. A _three-headed_ dog."

"What happened to 'underneath it all he's just a dog like any other'?"

That silenced the girl.

"Fine, _fine_ ," she relented. "Let me think." But all her mind could produce was a faint memory: Tesoro, her Kneazle, hissing and running away from a small Crup as it relentlessly chased him. "Well, dogs hate cats," she told the boys.

"Wish we could just use Mrs Norris as bait," Ron muttered. "We'd be doing the school a favor."

"Maybe not Mrs Norris," Maribella said thoughtfully. "Maybe we could distract him by giving him all that meat you brought me."

"Shouldn't _you_ eat it?" Ron asked.

"This is more important," Maribella decided. Then she remembered, "Hagrid told me once that Fluffy was really fond of Muggle classical music."

"Very helpful, Maribella , thanks," Harry said, sarcastically.

"You come up with ideas then, Harry," Maribella said angrily, crossing her arms. "It's the least we can do, you know? And if dogs in general are easily distracted, I'd imagine Fluffy would be the same. Or rather, triple the normal. He has three heads, after all."

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized. "Hagrid gave me a flute for Christmas, I'll just make sure to pocket it as well when I grab the Cloak."

They spent the rest of the afternoon in a corner of the common room, reading passage after passage, writing down information that seemed important, and discussing everything they ought to do to be prepared. They sat apart from the rest of the Gryffindors, and nobody bothered them, still upset about the drastic loss of points. Slowly, the room emptied as the students went to bed. A few minutes later, Harry ran up to his dormitory to grab the Invisibility Cloak and the wooden flute Hagrid had made him, and Maribella got some of the meat. They were ready to leave. They were almost out of the portrait hole when a voice stopped them.

"What are you doing?" Neville appeared from behind an armchair.

"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, but their faces must've shown guilt, because Neville narrowed his eyes.

"You're going out again."

"We're not Neville," Maribella said, giving him a warm smile. "We're just going to stay up and chat some more. Why don't you go to bed?"

"You're lying," Neville said. "I know you are. You'll go out and get Gryffindor into even more trouble."

"You don't understand," said Harry. "This is important." But Neville's mind was made up.

"No, I won't let you," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll- I'll fight you!" And he brought his hands to his chest, holding them out in fists.

"Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot-"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yeah, but not to _us_ ," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing." He took a step forward. Neville took one back.

"Go on, try to hit me," he said. "I'm ready!"

But it was Hermione who resolved their problem.

"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this."

She raised her wand.

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ " she cried, pointing her wand at Neville. His body went rigid, swaying from side to side before falling flat on the ground, stiff as a board.

They stared at her handiwork. "You're a little scary sometimes, you know that?" Ron commented. "Brilliant, but scary."

"What have you done to him?" Maribella whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind," Hermione explained miserably.

"Nicely executed," Maribella complimented, but Hermione wasn't listening.

"Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry," she wailed.

"You'll understand later, Neville," Ron said.

"Let's go," said Harry.

"We're sorry Neville," Hermione said as they walked by him. "We really are."

They hopped off the portrait, the cool night air caressing their faces. This was it then. They were ready to go.

* * *

 **Second to last chapter already! Oof... Hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far. Reviews are always welcome!**


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